A two-alternative risky decision experiment method for assessing decision impulsive behavior

Abstract

This invention provides a binary choice risk decision-making experimental method for assessing impulsive decision-making behavior. It is implemented using mice and a Skinner manipulator, and includes four main steps: adapting mice to the Skinner manipulator, training mice to eat on a touchscreen, training mice to choose probability blocks under forced selection, and finally, allowing mice to freely choose probability blocks until the probability curves of the mice selecting two blocks simultaneously lit on the Skinner manipulator's touchscreen form a relatively stable curve. The experimental results can be used to study how mice choose between the expected risk and the expected reward, evaluating impulsive behavior in mice. This invention provides a practical and reliable experimental paradigm for studying impulsive decision-making in diseases and neuroeconomics, and offers a specific experimental method for clinical medical research on the neural pathways and drug treatments of pathological risk decision-making, as well as for studying the neural and behavioral mechanisms of risk decision-making in economics.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to experimental methods for assessing impulsive decision-making behavior in animals, and more specifically to a binary risk decision-making experimental method for assessing impulsive decision-making behavior. Background Technology

[0002] In animal behavior research paradigms, the use of Skinner boxes to study complex behavioral patterns in laboratory animals such as rats is common, with the study of impulsive behavior in rats being an important category. Impulsive behavior in rats can be categorized into impulsive choice (a preference for smaller, more immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards), impulsive motor responses (failure to suppress inappropriate motor responses), impulsive decision-making (risky / suboptimal choices in ambiguous situations), reactive impulsivity (a tendency to react prematurely to solutions under conditions of uncertainty), and impulsive cognitive biases (failure to suppress inappropriate attentional biases). The Skinner box, based on Pavlovian conditioning, is a behavioral manipulator commonly used to assess cognitive behavior, attention deficits, conditioned fear, and risk-taking behavior in rats. Skinner boxes accurately record rats' behavioral responses during tasks. Currently, experimental paradigms using Skinner boxes to evaluate the behavior of rats are limited in their application to impulsive decision-making. However, studying risk-taking behavior in rats and assessing their impulsiveness could provide a reliable experimental paradigm for researching diseases involving impulsive decision-making. This could potentially offer a reliable experimental approach for clinical medical research on the neural pathways of pathological risk-taking and for drug treatment. Furthermore, it could serve as an experimental paradigm in neuroeconomics, used to study the neural and behavioral mechanisms of economic decision-making behaviors (such as economic decisions, risk decisions, and policy judgments). Therefore, developing simple, effective, and reliable experimental methods to assess impulsive decision-making behavior in rats is a technically interesting issue in the field. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a simple and reliable experimental method for evaluating impulsive decision-making behavior by addressing the problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] The technical solution of this invention is as follows: The present invention provides a two-option risk decision-making experimental method for evaluating impulsive decision-making behavior, implemented using rats and a Skinner control box. The Skinner control box includes a tray, a tray light, a touchscreen, a room light, a feeder, and a speaker. The touchscreen has three equally sized cubes. The experimental method includes the following steps:

[0005] The first step was to train the mice to adapt to the Skinner control box: The mice were trained for a set number of days and a set duration each day. Before the start of each training session, the mice were given a large food reward as a reinforcement signal to begin the experiment. The mice were trained at the same time each day. Each day, the mice were taken to the experimental room and placed in their cages to adapt to the set time before being placed in the Skinner control box for training. This allowed the mice to adapt to the Skinner control box and establish a connection between receiving food rewards and the lighting up and turning off of the squares on the touch screen.

[0006] The second step is to train the mice to eat by touching the screen: train the mice to eat by touching the screen for a set number of days and a set amount of time each day, so that the mice learn to obtain reward food by touching the squares of the lit touch screen.

[0007] The third step is to force the mice to choose probability blocks for training: force the mice to choose probability blocks for a set number of days and a set duration each day, so that the mice understand that touching different touch screen blocks that are lit up represents different amounts of food rewards and the probability of obtaining different amounts of food rewards.

[0008] The fourth step involves the mice performing a free choice of probability cubes task: The mice are given a set number of days and a set duration each day to perform this task. Each mouse freely chooses to touch one of two simultaneously lit cubes on a touchscreen, corresponding to different probabilities and quantities of reward food. This continues until the probability curves of the mice choosing the two cubes form a relatively stable curve. The experimental results are then used to study how the mice choose between the expected risk and the expectation of obtaining a reward, and to evaluate the mice's impulsive behavior.

[0009] A further proposed solution is as follows: The first step described above includes the following specific steps:

[0010] ① In the first stage, the mice learn to take food from the tray: During the 30 minutes each day that the mice are trained in the Skinner control box, the room lights are off and the touch screen is black and not lit; the feeder delivers food to the tray according to the set time and quantity, and the mice wait for the tray light to turn on before taking the food. After the mice take the food from the tray, the tray light turns off.

[0011] ② In the second stage, the mice established a connection between receiving food rewards and the lighting up and turning off of the squares on the touchscreen: Every day before the experiment began, the feeder delivered reward food as an incentive signal to start the experiment. The tray light would light up, and after the mice took the food from the tray, the tray light would turn off. During the 30-minute training period each day, every 60-second interval, one of the two squares on the left and right of the touchscreen would be randomly lit and remain lit for 10 seconds before turning off. The feeder would then immediately deliver food to the tray and the tray light would light up at the same time. After the mice took the food from the tray, the tray light would turn off.

[0012] A further solution is as follows: In step ① of the first step above, the amount of reward food delivered to the feeder as an incentive signal is reduced day by day, and the time interval and amount of food delivered in each day's experiment are based on the set plan; In step ② of the second step above, the same square on the touch screen is set not to be lit up 3 times consecutively.

[0013] A further proposed solution is as follows: The second step mentioned above includes the following specific steps:

[0014] ① Initial touchscreen training for mice: During a 30-minute training period each day, a square on the left or right side of the touchscreen is randomly lit. If the mouse touches the lit square within 30 seconds, the touchscreen immediately goes black, and the tray light turns on, delivering a set amount of reward food to the feeder. The mouse takes the food from the tray, and the training session is completed. If the mouse does not touch the lit square after 30 seconds, the touchscreen automatically goes black, and only 1 / 3 of the reward food is delivered to the feeder for the mouse to eat. This training session ends, and the next training session begins after a 5-second interval. This process is repeated to gradually teach the mouse that it can obtain a larger amount of food by touching the lit squares on the touchscreen.

[0015] ② Conduct two-choice touchscreen training for the mice: During the 30-minute training period each day, the touchscreen simultaneously illuminates the squares located on the left and right sides. If the mouse touches either illuminated square within 30 seconds, the touchscreen immediately goes black, and the tray light illuminates, delivering food to the feeder. The mouse takes the food from the tray, and the training session is completed. If the mouse does not touch either illuminated square within 30 seconds, no food is delivered, and the training session ends. After a 5-second interval, the next training session begins, and this process is repeated. This gradually teaches the mice that they can only obtain food by touching the illuminated squares on the touchscreen.

[0016] ③ Conduct single-choice touchscreen training for mice: During the 30-minute training period each day, a square on the left or right side of the touchscreen is randomly lit. If the mouse touches the lit square within 30 seconds, the touchscreen immediately goes black, and the tray light turns on, delivering reward food to the feeder. The mouse takes the food from the tray, and this is recorded as a correct response. If the mouse does not touch the lit square within 30 seconds, no food is delivered, and the training session ends. After a 5-second interval, the next training session begins, and this process is repeated until the mouse's correct response rate reaches the set standard of this training step.

[0017] ④ Conduct basic touchscreen training for the mice: During the 30-minute training period each day, a square on the left or right side of the touchscreen is randomly lit. If the mouse touches the lit square within 10 seconds, the touchscreen immediately goes black, and the tray light turns on, delivering reward food to the feeder. The mouse takes the food from the tray, and this is recorded as a correct response. After a 5-second interval, the next training session begins. If the mouse touches other parts of the touchscreen within 10 seconds, this is recorded as an incorrect response. The room light turns on for 5 seconds and then turns off, and the next training session begins. If the mouse does not respond within 10 seconds, this is recorded as a missed response, and the next training session begins after a 5-second interval. If the mouse touches the touchscreen during any 5-second interval, this is recorded as an early response. This process is repeated until the mouse's correct response rate reaches the set standard of this training step.

[0018] A further solution is as follows: The specific method for the third step mentioned above is:

[0019] Mice undergo 30 minutes of forced selection of probability-based food blocks daily. At the start of each training session, a block on the left or right side of the touchscreen is randomly illuminated. If the left block is illuminated and the mouse touches it within 10 seconds, there is a 100% probability of receiving 4 pre-set reward food items. If the right block is illuminated and the mouse touches it within 10 seconds, there is a 20% probability of receiving 16 pre-set reward food items and an 80% probability of receiving 1 pre-set reward food item. After the mouse touches an illuminated block, the touchscreen turns off, the corresponding amount of food is dispensed into the feeder, and the tray light illuminates. A 1-second sound cue is played from the speaker. The mouse takes food from the tray, and this is recorded as a correct response. After a 5-second interval, the next training session begins. If the mouse touches any part of the touchscreen other than the lit square within 10 seconds, this is recorded as an incorrect response. The room light turns on for 5 seconds and then turns off, and the next training session begins. If the mouse does not react within 10 seconds, this is recorded as a missed response, and the next training session begins after a 5-second interval. If the mouse touches the screen during any 5-second interval, this is recorded as an early response. This process is repeated until the mouse's correct response rate reaches the set standard for this training step.

[0020] A further solution is as follows: In the third step above, to avoid the mice developing positional preferences that affect the probability of the mice choosing a block, the mice are divided into two groups, A and B, and run simultaneously. The probability and amount of food rewards obtained by mice in group A from touching the lit left and right blocks are opposite to those of mice in group B.

[0021] A further solution is as follows: The specific method for the fourth step above is:

[0022] Mice were given a 30-minute daily challenge involving freely choosing a probability-based cube. At the start of each day's experiment, the touchscreen simultaneously lit up both the left and right cubes. Within 10 seconds, if a mouse touched the left cube, there was a 100% probability of receiving 4 pre-set reward food items. If the mouse touched the right cube, there was a 20% probability of receiving 16 pre-set reward food items and an 80% probability of receiving 1 pre-set reward food item. After the mouse touched either lit cube, the touchscreen went out, and the corresponding amount of reward food was dispensed to the food container. The tray light illuminates, and a 1-second sound cue plays from the speaker. The mouse takes food from the tray, recording a correct response. After a 5-second interval, the next task begins. If the mouse touches any area of ​​the touchscreen other than the illuminated square within 10 seconds, an incorrect response is recorded. The room light turns on for 5 seconds and then off, starting the next task. If the mouse does not react within 10 seconds, a missed response is recorded, and the next task begins after a 5-second interval. If the mouse touches the touchscreen within any 5-second interval, an early response is recorded, and this process repeats.

[0023] The present invention has positive effects: (1) The two-choice risk decision-making experimental method of the present invention for evaluating decision-making impulsive behavior studies the simple risk decision-making behavior of rats by simulating the risk decision-making process, and can effectively evaluate the decision-making impulsivity of rats. The present invention can provide a practical and reliable experimental paradigm for diseases that need to study decision-making impulsivity, and is expected to provide a reliable experimental method for clinical medical research on the neural pathways of pathological risk decision-making and drug treatment; in addition, the experimental method of the present invention can also be used as an experimental paradigm of neuroeconomics, and can be used to study the neural and behavioral mechanisms of decision-making behaviors such as economic decision-making, risk decision-making, and policy judgment, filling the gap in the research of such experimental paradigms in neuroeconomics. (2) The experimental method of the present invention does not include punishment, but only studies how rats make decisions when faced with a risky large reward and a stable small reward, and studies the relationship between the reward expectation and risk of rats. For the behavioral training of rats, the training task is simple, the difficulty of the task increases relatively steadily at different stages, the accuracy rate of rats after learning the training task is stable above 80%, the miss rate is stable below 10%, the total number of training completed per day is more than 60, which has good research significance, and the training results are stable and reliable, and have good reference value. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a method flow according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0026] (Example 1)

[0027] This embodiment presents a two-option risk decision-making experiment method for assessing impulsive decision-making behavior. It utilizes mice and an existing Skinner control box. The Skinner control box includes a tray, tray light, touchscreen, room light, feeder, and speaker. The touchscreen is divided into three equally sized, all-lighting squares for the mice to interact with. Before the experiment, preliminary preparations are made, such as acclimatizing the mice to the experimenters and maintaining the mice at the required weight through methods like food restriction.

[0028] See Figure 1 The two-choice risk decision-making experimental method used in this embodiment for evaluating impulsive decision-making behavior includes four major steps: Skinner manipulator adaptation training for mice, touch screen feeding training for mice, forced selection probability cube training for mice, and free selection probability cube task for mice, as detailed below.

[0029] Step 1: Adaptation training of mice to the Skinner manipulator box.

[0030] After the experiment began, the mice were first trained to adapt to the Skinner control box. Each day before training, the mice were given a large amount of food as a reinforcement signal to begin the experiment. Training was conducted at the same time each day. The mice were first placed in their cages in the experimental room for 15 minutes to acclimatize, and then placed in the Skinner control box for 30 minutes of training. The specific duration could be adjusted according to the actual situation. Through this adaptation training, the mice became accustomed to the Skinner control box and established a connection between receiving food rewards and the lighting and extinguishing of squares on the touchscreen. This step specifically includes two phases: the first and the second.

[0031] ① First stage: During the 30 minutes each day when the mice are trained in the Skinner control box, the room lights are off and the touch screen is black and not lit; the feeder delivers food to the tray according to the set time and quantity, and the mice wait for the tray light to come on before taking the food. This training is carried out for several days (e.g., 4 to 6 days) to teach the mice to restrict their food intake from the tray.

[0032] Preferably, considering that the mice have not yet adapted to and noticed the food in the tray of the Skinner manipulator during the initial training, the reward food delivered to the feeder each day is reduced in the first stage, so as to ensure that the mice can both learn to get food from the tray and maintain a normal weight.

[0033] ② Second Stage: During each day's experiment, at every 60-second interval, one of the two squares on the left and right of the touchscreen is randomly lit and remains lit for 10 seconds before going black. Reward food is then delivered to the feeder, and the tray light illuminates simultaneously. The tray light turns off after the mouse takes the food. Preferably, the same square on the touchscreen is not set to light up three times consecutively in this step. The purpose of step ②, the second stage, is to train the mouse to associate receiving the food reward with the lighting and extinguishing of the squares on the touchscreen.

[0034] Step 2: Training the mice to eat using touchscreens

[0035] This step includes initial touchscreen training, two-choice touchscreen training, single-choice touchscreen training, and basic touchscreen training for the mouse, as detailed below.

[0036] ① Initial touchscreen training for mice: The touchscreen randomly lights up one of the squares on the left or right. If the mouse touches the lit square within 30 seconds, the touchscreen immediately goes black, the tray light turns on, and a set amount of reward food is delivered to the feeder. The mouse takes the food from the tray, and this is recorded as a successful training session or a correct response. If the mouse does not touch the lit square after 30 seconds, the touchscreen automatically goes black, and only 1 / 3 of the set amount of reward food (condensed milk) is delivered to the feeder. This training session ends, and after a 5-second interval, the next training session begins, repeating this process. The training is considered complete when the mouse completes more than 30 training sessions within a 30-minute training period per day.

[0037] ② Conduct a two-choice touchscreen training exercise for the mouse: The touchscreen simultaneously illuminates two squares on either side of the mouse. If the mouse touches either illuminated square within 30 seconds, the touchscreen immediately goes black, the tray light illuminates, and a set amount of reward food is delivered to the feeder. The mouse takes the food from the tray, and the training session is considered complete. If the mouse does not touch either illuminated square within 30 seconds, no food is delivered, and the training session ends. After a 5-second interval, the next training session begins, and this process is repeated. The training is considered complete when the mouse can complete more than 40 training sessions within 30 minutes per day.

[0038] ③ Single-choice touchscreen training for mice: The touchscreen randomly lights up one of the squares on either side of the mouse. If the mouse touches the lit square within 30 seconds, the touchscreen immediately goes black, the tray light turns on, and a set amount of reward food is delivered to the feeder. The mouse takes the food from the tray, and the mouse successfully completes one training session. If the mouse does not touch the lit square within 30 seconds, no food is delivered, and the training session ends. After a 5-second interval, the next training session is conducted, and this process is repeated. The training is considered complete when the mouse can complete more than 20 training sessions within 30 minutes per day.

[0039] ④ Conduct 30 minutes of basic touchscreen training on the mice daily: The touchscreen randomly lights one of the squares on either side of the mouse. If the mouse touches the lit square within 10 seconds, the touchscreen immediately goes black, the tray light illuminates, and a set amount of reward food is delivered to the feeder. The mouse takes the food from the tray, and this is recorded as a correct response. After a 5-second interval, the next training session begins. If the mouse touches another part of the touchscreen within 10 seconds, this is recorded as an incorrect response. The room light illuminates for 5 seconds and then turns off, starting the next training session. If the mouse does not respond within 10 seconds, this is recorded as a missed response, and after a 5-second interval, the next training session begins. If the mouse touches the touchscreen during any 5-second interval, this is recorded as an early response. This process is repeated. In this step, if for two consecutive days the mouse completes more than 60 training sessions daily, with an accuracy rate greater than 80%, an error rate less than 20%, and an early response rate less than 20%, the training is considered complete. The calculation methods for accuracy, error rate, and early response rate are described later.

[0040] Step 3: Force the mice to choose probability blocks for training.

[0041] Mice are trained daily for 30 minutes to choose probability-based cubes. In this step, the cubes on the left and right sides of the touchscreen are randomly lit. The mouse chooses to touch either the lit left or right cube, which corresponds to different probabilities and amounts of reward food. This forces the mouse to learn about the different amounts of food rewards represented by different cubes and the probability of obtaining those rewards. The specific method for this step is as follows:

[0042] At the start of each training session, the touchscreen randomly lights up either the left or right square. If the left square is lit and the mouse touches it within 10 seconds, there is a 100% probability of receiving 4 pre-set reward foods. If the right square is lit and the mouse touches it within 10 seconds, there is a 20% probability of receiving 16 pre-set reward foods and an 80% probability of receiving 1 pre-set reward food. After the mouse touches a lit square, the touchscreen turns off, and the corresponding amount of food is delivered to the feeder. Simultaneously, the tray... The light turns on, and a 1-second sound cue plays from the speaker as a prompt for the mouse to react correctly. The mouse takes food from the tray, and this is recorded as a correct response. After a 5-second interval, the next training session begins. If the mouse touches any other part of the touchscreen within 10 seconds, this is recorded as an incorrect response. The room light turns on for 5 seconds and then turns off, and the next training session begins. If the mouse does not react within 10 seconds, this is recorded as a missed response, and the next training session begins after a 5-second interval. If the mouse touches the screen during any 5-second interval, this is recorded as an early response, and this process is repeated. In this step, if the mouse completes more than 60 training sessions per day, it is considered to have met the completion standard.

[0043] In this step, the specific amount of reward food set as the baseline can be adjusted up or down according to the actual situation (including changes in the weight of the mice).

[0044] Preferably, in this step, to avoid the mice exhibiting positional preferences that could affect their probability of choosing a cube, the mice are divided into two groups, A and B, and trained simultaneously. Group A mice receive food rewards for touching the left and right cubes, with the corresponding probabilities and quantities described above. Group B mice, on the other hand, receive rewards in reverse order: touching the right cube gives them a 100% probability of receiving 4 pre-set food rewards, touching the left cube gives them a 20% probability of receiving 16 pre-set food rewards, and touching the left cube gives them an 80% probability of receiving 1 pre-set food reward. The forced selection of probability cubes for both groups of mice, which is also the training method for the risk decision-making task, is identical except for the different probabilities and quantities of food rewards received from touching the left and right cubes; therefore, it will not be elaborated further.

[0045] Step 4: The mouse performs the task of freely choosing the probability cube.

[0046] Mice are given 30 minutes daily to freely choose between two illuminated squares. In this step, both the left and right squares on the touchscreen are lit simultaneously. The mouse freely chooses to touch either the illuminated left or right square, which corresponds to different probabilities and amounts of reward food. This continues until the probability curves of the mouse's choices between the two squares form a relatively stable curve. This allows us to evaluate how the mouse chooses between the expected risk and the expected reward, i.e., to evaluate the mouse's impulsive behavior. The specific method for this step is as follows:

[0047] At the start of each day's experiment, the touchscreen simultaneously illuminates the left and right squares. Within 10 seconds, if the mouse touches the left square, there is a 100% probability of receiving 4 pre-set reward foods. If the mouse touches the right square, there is a 20% probability of receiving 16 pre-set reward foods and an 80% probability of receiving 1 pre-set reward food. After the mouse touches either illuminated square, the touchscreen turns off, the corresponding amount of reward food is delivered to the food dispenser, the tray light illuminates, and a 1-second sound prompt plays. The mouse takes food from the tray, and this is recorded as a correct response. After a 5-second interval, the next task begins. If the mouse touches other parts of the touchscreen within 10 seconds, this is recorded as an incorrect response. The room light illuminates for 5 seconds and then turns off, and the next task begins. If the mouse does not react within 10 seconds, this is recorded as a missed response, and after a 5-second interval, the next task begins. If the mouse touches the screen during any 5-second interval, this is recorded as an early response. This process repeats, and the mouse must complete 60-140 tasks within 30 minutes each day. In this step, the completion standard is to train the mouse until the probability of choosing the left and right squares on the touchscreen is a relatively stable curve. In other words, the completion standard is to train the mouse until the percentage curves of conservative and risky choices are both relatively stable curves.

[0048] Experiments have shown that in the later stages of this step, the mice consistently achieved an accuracy rate of over 80% and an error rate of less than 10% in the experimental tasks. They were able to easily complete more than 60 training tasks within 30 minutes per day, demonstrating significant research value.

[0049] This step involves having mice perform a binary choice risk decision-making task. The experimental results can then be used to evaluate how the mice choose between the expected risk and the expected reward, assessing their impulsive decision-making behavior. The parameters automatically recorded, processed, and evaluated by the Skinner manipulator in this experiment include:

[0050] A. Total number of training sessions = Number of correct responses + Number of incorrect responses + Number of missed responses;

[0051] B. Accuracy rate = (Number of correct responses / Total number of training sessions) × 100%;

[0052] C. Error rate = (Number of incorrect responses / Total number of training sessions) × 100%;

[0053] D. Miss rate = (Number of missed responses / Total number of training sessions) × 100%;

[0054] E. Early response rate = (Number of early responses / Total number of training sessions) × 100%;

[0055] F. Risk Behavior Score = (Number of Risk Options / (Number of Risk Options + Number of Safe Options)) × 100%.

[0056] Among them, the risk behavior score and the early response rate can be directly used to evaluate the impulsiveness of rats' decisions. The higher the risk behavior score, the higher the impulsiveness of rats' decisions. The higher the early response rate of rats, the higher the impulsiveness of rats' decisions from another perspective. The miss rate can be used to evaluate the attention of rats. Rats with poor attention have a relatively higher miss rate.

[0057] As can be seen from the foregoing, the binary risk decision-making experimental method used in this embodiment to assess impulsive decision-making behavior does not employ the reward-punishment training model commonly used in similar experimental methods. This experimental method does not involve punishing the mice, but only uses food rewards to study how mice decide between a risky large reward and a stable small reward, thereby investigating the relationship between reward expectation and risk. The experimental process is relatively simple and easy to implement. In short, this experimental method can effectively assess the impulsiveness of mice by studying their simple binary risk decision-making behavior. The training results of this experimental method are stable and reliable, possessing good reference value. It can provide a practical and reliable experimental paradigm for studying diseases involving impulsive decision-making, and is expected to provide a reliable experimental method for clinical medical research on the neural pathways of pathological risk decision-making and drug treatment. Furthermore, the experimental method of this invention can also serve as an experimental paradigm for neuroeconomics, used to study the neural and behavioral mechanisms of decision-making behaviors such as economic decision-making, risk decision-making, and policy judgment, filling the gap in neuroeconomic research on such experimental paradigms.

[0058] It should be emphasized that the daily training time and the amount of food reward for the mice in the aforementioned steps can be adjusted according to the specific circumstances of the experiment. The training time and the specific amount of food reward do not constitute a necessary limitation of the experimental method of this invention. Other experimental animals commonly used in similar experiments can also be used instead of mice used in the experiment.

[0059] The above embodiments are descriptions of specific implementations of the present invention, and not limitations thereof. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention to obtain corresponding equivalent technical solutions. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions should be included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A binary risk decision-making experiment method for assessing impulsive decision-making behavior, implemented using rats and a Skinner control box, wherein the Skinner control box is equipped with a tray, a tray light, a touch screen, a room light, a feeder, and a speaker, and the touch screen has three equally sized cubes, characterized in that: The experimental method includes the following steps: The first step was to train the mice to adapt to the Skinner control box: The mice were trained for a set number of days and a set duration each day. Before the start of each training session, the mice were given a large food reward as a reinforcement signal to begin the experiment. The mice were trained at the same time each day. Each day, the mice were taken to the experimental room and placed in their cages to adapt to the set time before being placed in the Skinner control box for training. This allowed the mice to adapt to the Skinner control box and establish a connection between receiving food rewards and the lighting up and turning off of the squares on the touch screen. The second step is to train the mice to eat by touching the screen: train the mice to eat by touching the screen for a set number of days and a set amount of time each day, so that the mice learn to obtain reward food by touching the squares of the lit touch screen. The third step involves forced selection of probability blocks for the mice: The mice undergo forced selection of probability blocks for a set number of days and a set duration each day. This forces the mice to understand the different amounts of food rewards represented by touching different illuminated blocks on the touchscreen, and the probability of obtaining those rewards. To prevent positional preferences from affecting the mice's block selection probability, the mice are divided into two groups, A and B, and trained simultaneously. In group A, the probability and amount of food rewards obtained from touching the left and right illuminated blocks on the touchscreen are opposite to those in group B. The fourth step involves the mice performing a free choice of probability-based cube tasks: For a set number of days and a set duration each day, the mice freely choose to touch one of two simultaneously lit cubes on a touchscreen, each offering a different probability and amount of reward food. This process continues until the probability curves for the mice's choices of the two cubes reach a relatively stable point. The experimental results are then used to study how the mice choose between the expected risk and the expected reward, and to evaluate their impulsive behavior. During the experiment, the Skinner control box automatically recorded, processed, and evaluated the required parameters, including: Total training count = Number of correct responses + Number of incorrect responses + Number of missed responses; Accuracy = (Number of correct responses / Total number of training sessions) × 100% Error rate = (Number of incorrect responses / Total number of training sessions) × 100% Miss rate = (Number of missed responses / Total number of training sessions) × 100% Early response rate = (Number of early responses / Total number of training sessions) × 100% Risk behavior score = (Number of risk options / (Number of risk options + Number of safe options)) × 100%; Among them, the risk behavior score and the early reaction rate are directly used to evaluate the impulsiveness of the rats' decisions. The higher the risk behavior score, the higher the impulsiveness of the rats' decisions. The higher the early reaction rate of the rats, the higher the impulsiveness of the rats' decisions from another perspective. The miss rate is used to evaluate the attention of the rats. Rats with poor attention have a relatively higher miss rate.

2. The two-alternative risky decision experiment method for assessing decision impulsive behavior according to claim 1, wherein, The first step includes the following specific steps: ① In the first stage, the mice learn to take food from the tray: During the 30 minutes each day that the mice are trained in the Skinner control box, the room lights are off and the touch screen is black and not lit; the feeder delivers food to the tray according to the set time and quantity, and the mice wait for the tray light to turn on before taking the food. After the mice take the food from the tray, the tray light turns off. ② In the second stage, the mice established a connection between receiving food rewards and the lighting up and turning off of the squares on the touchscreen: Every day before the experiment began, the feeder delivered reward food as an incentive signal to start the experiment. The tray light would light up, and after the mice took the food from the tray, the tray light would turn off. During the 30-minute training period each day, every 60-second interval, one of the two squares on the left and right of the touchscreen would be randomly lit and remain lit for 10 seconds before turning off. The feeder would then immediately deliver food to the tray and the tray light would light up at the same time. After the mice took the food from the tray, the tray light would turn off.

3. The two-alternative risky decision experiment method for assessing decision impulsive behavior according to claim 2, wherein, In step ① of the first step, the amount of reward food delivered to the feeder as an incentive signal decreases daily, and the time interval and amount of food delivered in each day's experiment are based on the set plan; in step ② of the second step, the same square on the touch screen is set not to be lit up 3 times consecutively.

4. The two-alternative risky decision experiment method for assessing decision impulsive behavior according to claim 1, wherein, The second step includes the following specific steps: ① Initial touchscreen training for mice: During a 30-minute training period each day, a square on the left or right side of the touchscreen is randomly lit. If the mouse touches the lit square within 30 seconds, the touchscreen immediately goes black, and the tray light turns on, delivering a set amount of reward food to the feeder. The mouse takes the food from the tray, and the training session is completed. If the mouse does not touch the lit square after 30 seconds, the touchscreen automatically goes black, and only 1 / 3 of the reward food is delivered to the feeder for the mouse to eat. This training session ends, and the next training session begins after a 5-second interval. This process is repeated to gradually teach the mouse that it can obtain a larger amount of food by touching the lit squares on the touchscreen. ② Conduct two-choice touchscreen training for the mice: During the 30-minute training period each day, the touchscreen simultaneously illuminates the squares located on the left and right sides. If the mouse touches either illuminated square within 30 seconds, the touchscreen immediately goes black, and the tray light illuminates, delivering food to the feeder. The mouse takes the food from the tray, and the training session is completed. If the mouse does not touch either illuminated square within 30 seconds, no food is delivered, and the training session ends. After a 5-second interval, the next training session begins, and this process is repeated. This gradually teaches the mice that they can only obtain food by touching the illuminated squares on the touchscreen. ③ Conduct single-choice touchscreen training for mice: During the 30-minute training period each day, a square on the left or right side of the touchscreen is randomly lit. If the mouse touches the lit square within 30 seconds, the touchscreen immediately goes black, and the tray light turns on, delivering reward food to the feeder. The mouse takes the food from the tray, and this is recorded as a correct response. If the mouse does not touch the lit square within 30 seconds, no food is delivered, and the training session ends. After a 5-second interval, the next training session begins, and this process is repeated until the mouse's correct response rate reaches the set standard of this training step. ④ Conduct basic touchscreen training for the mice: During the 30-minute training period each day, a square on the left or right side of the touchscreen is randomly lit. If the mouse touches the lit square within 10 seconds, the touchscreen immediately goes black, and the tray light turns on, delivering reward food to the feeder. The mouse takes the food from the tray, and this is recorded as a correct response. After a 5-second interval, the next training session begins. If the mouse touches other parts of the touchscreen within 10 seconds, this is recorded as an incorrect response. The room light turns on for 5 seconds and then turns off, and the next training session begins. If the mouse does not respond within 10 seconds, this is recorded as a missed response, and the next training session begins after a 5-second interval. If the mouse touches the touchscreen during any 5-second interval, this is recorded as an early response. This process is repeated until the mouse's correct response rate reaches the set standard of this training step.

5. The two-alternative risky decision experiment method for assessing decision impulsive behavior according to claim 1, wherein, The specific method for the third step is as follows: Mice undergo 30 minutes of forced selection of probability-based food blocks daily. At the start of each training session, a block on the left or right side of the touchscreen is randomly illuminated. If the left block is illuminated and the mouse touches it within 10 seconds, there is a 100% probability of receiving 4 pre-set reward food items. If the right block is illuminated and the mouse touches it within 10 seconds, there is a 20% probability of receiving 16 pre-set reward food items and an 80% probability of receiving 1 pre-set reward food item. After the mouse touches an illuminated block, the touchscreen turns off, the corresponding amount of food is dispensed into the feeder, and the tray light illuminates. A 1-second sound cue is played from the speaker. The mouse takes food from the tray, and this is recorded as a correct response. After a 5-second interval, the next training session begins. If the mouse touches any part of the touchscreen other than the lit square within 10 seconds, this is recorded as an incorrect response. The room light turns on for 5 seconds and then turns off, and the next training session begins. If the mouse does not react within 10 seconds, this is recorded as a missed response, and the next training session begins after a 5-second interval. If the mouse touches the screen during any 5-second interval, this is recorded as an early response. This process is repeated until the mouse's correct response rate reaches the set standard for this training step.

6. The binary risk decision-making experimental method for assessing impulsive decision-making behavior according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specific method for the fourth step is as follows: Mice were given a 30-minute daily free-choice probability-based task involving a grid of squares. At the start of each day's experiment, both the left and right squares on the touchscreen were simultaneously lit. Within 10 seconds, if a mouse touched the left square, it had a 100% probability of receiving 4 pre-set reward foods; if it touched the right square, it had a 20% probability of receiving 16 pre-set reward foods and an 80% probability of receiving 1 pre-set reward food. After the mouse touched either lit square, the touchscreen went out, the corresponding amount of reward food was dispensed into the food dish, the tray light turned on, and a 1-second sound cue played. The mouse took food from the tray, and this was recorded as a correct response. After a 5-second interval, the next task began. If the mouse touched any area of ​​the touchscreen other than a lit square within 10 seconds, this was recorded as an incorrect response. The room light turned on for 5 seconds and then off, and the next task began. If the mouse did not react within 10 seconds, this was recorded as a missed response, and the next task began after a 5-second interval. If the mouse touched the touchscreen during any 5-second interval, this was recorded as an early response, and the process repeated.

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