The effect of orbital prefrontal cortex lesions on performance on a progressive ratio schedule: implications for models of inter-temporal choice

In a previous experiment [Kheramin S, Body S, Mobini S, Ho M-Y, Velazquez-Martinez DN, Bradshaw CM, et al. Effects of quinolinic acid-induced lesions of the orbital prefrontal cortex on inter-temporal choice: a quantitative analysis. Psychopharmacology 2002;165: 9-17], destruction of the orbital prefrontal cortex (OPFC) in rats altered choice between two delayed food reinforcers, enhancing preference for the larger reinforcer. Theoretical analysis based on a quantitative model of inter-temporal choice [Ho M-Y, Mobini S, Chiang T-J, Bradshaw CM, Szabadi E. Theory and method in the quantitative analysis of 'impulsive choice' behaviour: implications for psychopharmacology. Psychopharmacology 1999;146:362-72] indicated that the lesion had increased the relative value of the larger of the two reinforcers due to a general reduction of absolute reinforcer value. The present experiment tested this hypothesis using a reinforcement schedule that did not entail either explicit choice or delayed reinforcement. Ten rats received quinolinic acid-induced lesions of the OPFC, and ten rats received sham lesions. The rats were trained under a progressive-ratio schedule of food reinforcement for 60 daily sessions. Response rates in successive ratios were a bitonic (inverted-U) function of ratio size. Analysis of the data using a three-parameter equation derived from a quantitative model of ratio schedule performance [Killeen PR. Mathematical principles of reinforcement. Behav. Brain Sci. 1994;17:105-72] revealed that the parameter specifying hypothetical reinforcer value was significantly lower in the OPFC-lesioned group than in the sham-lesioned group, consistent with the hypothesis that destruction of the OPFC resulted in devaluation of the food reinforcer.