Animal Learning Lab Manual

Welcome

Welcome to the Salem State Learning Lab and Vivarium, operated through Salem State College Department of Psychology. The College has recently made a number of commitments to research using animals as subjects, including a major renovation of the animal housing facilities (Vivarium), the Learning lab associated with it, and the hiring of a full-time, tenure-track member of the faculty. This commitment allows you, as students and assistants, the opportunity to experience animal research first-hand. For those of you who are involved in the lab as Students currently enrolled in Psychology 313L, details of the specific projects you complete can be found later in the manual. For those of you who are interested in completing an independent or directed study, you will learn more about your individual projects directly from your instructor. In either case, it is imperative that you read the entire manual prior to working directly with the animals.

About this Manual

This manual is divided into a number of major sections. The first deals with issues related to handling the animals. Next you will read about issues of safety. For those of you who will work with the operant conditioning chambers, some time will be spent on issues concerning the chambers. Keeping accurate and up-to-date records is essential to any scientific enterprise, and will be discussed in the following section. Animal and vivarium maintenance will then be addressed. Finally, you will read about how to deal with issues of time management while you are involved with the learning lab and vivarium. This document is meant to serve as a working copy only and not as a final statement on the operation of the lab. With this in mind, after you have become familiar with the workings of the lab, feel free to make suggestions for how this manual and the smooth, efficient operation of the lab might be improved.

Animal Handling

About the Rats

For those of you who are involved with the lab as a student of Psy313L, each of your rats have come from an identical source and have similar characterisitics. In particular, each of them is an outbred (genetically heterogenous) female Sprague-Dawley rat (Rattus norvegicus) sent from the Charles River Laboratory in Wilmington, MA at the beginning of the semester. Each rat is Albino in coat color and is a retired breeder. That is to say that each rat served the function of a breeding female for Charles River Laboratories prior to arriving on our campus. Although the exact ages of the animals were not provided by the supplier, they were about 150 to 200 days old at the time they arrived at the lab.

For those of you who are involved in a project that is not directly connected to PSY313L, your rats are part of an inbred stock derived from two sources, one female from the above-mentioned Charles River stock in September, 2000, and one hooded male rat of unknown descent and obtained from a pet store in the Salem, MA area in January, 2001.

In either case, it is important to note that all of our rats, through selective breeding during the first half of the 2oth century, were specifically bred to be docile and easily handled by humans. Even still, it is still important to follow some guidelines when handling the animals. This will be discussed in the next section.

How to Handle the Animals

Before handling a rat or placing your hand near the lid of the cage, remove the cage from the rack and place it on the counter next to the sink. Then, while pressing against the front of the cage with your left hand, use your right hand to pull the metal clip of the cage top from underneath the plastic holders of the cage. Now you should be able to lift the lid off of the cage. After you do this, place the lid to the side of the cage on the counter. If your rat is active, you should be prepared to pick it up quickly, as it may attempt to climb the sides of the cage. Using your preferred hand, reach into the cage. With the rats tail toward the pinky finger region of your hand and her head toward the thumb/index finger region, place your hand on the rats back and gently curl your fingers around one side and your thumb around the other side of the rat. Your grip should not be so strong as to restrict breathing and potentially set off a defensive biting, yet should be strong enough so that you can support her weight as you lift her (i.e., she should not fall). At this point, you should be able to place her in the operant chamber, weighing scale, or what ever apparatus you happen to be working with. Follow the same procedures to remove her and place her back into her home cage. Although you may have been taught that some animals can smell fear and react to it, what is probably more true is that animals are reluctant to interact with a hand that randomly approaches and retreats or is too quick and forceful. As a general rule, therefore, it is a good practice to be slow and deliberate when handling the animals and neither too forceful nor too apprehensive.

Forbidden Activities with the animals

At no point should you pick up the animal by her tail, which is painful to the rat. You also should not pick her up by the scruff of her neck, as it could potentially restrict her breathing. This should go without saying, but rats should always be under your immediate observation. The consequences of an escaped rat would be difficult to determine ahead of time, but would clearly not be good. Be sure you know where your rat is at all times.

Safety

Attire

On occasion, the rats will urinate or defecate during handlingtIn fact, you should expect this at some point during your work in the lab. With this in mind, it is a good idea to either a) wear a protective covering during handling the animals or b) wear clothes to the lab that you are not concerned about soiling

If you are bitten by a rat

First, do not panic. All of our rats are certified non-infected and are kept under very clean conditions while at Salem State. If the rat has not drawn blood, gently pick up the animal, return her to your cage, and inform your instructor. If the animal has drawn blood, return the animal to her cage and inform your instructor of the incident. At this point you will be directed to thoroughly was the affected area with antibacterial soap and will be informed as to any additional actions to take.

The Operant Conditioning Equipment

The Parts of an operant chamber

There are two primary components to the operant conditioning equipmenttThe blue controlling unit (Lafayette Instruments Company, Lafayette, Indiana, Model # 81335), and the chamber itself (Lafayette Instruments Company, Lafayette, Indiana, Model # 84022SS) which should be connected to each other prior to operation.

Control Console

Moving in a clockwise direction from the upper-left portion of the control chamber, you will see a dial labeled response. This is a device that counts the number of manipulandum (see below) movements made by the rat. The switch immediately to the right indicates whether the rat will be reinforced for a bar movement or lever movement. The Ratio/interval dial will be discussed within the context of a specific exercise. Some controlling unit have a liquid/pellet switch next. For all of our experiments, this should be in the pellet setting. The next dial refers to reinforcement, and refers to the number of reinforcements that have been delivered to the operant chamber. The dial below refers to shock intensity and will not be used in our lab. In the lowerf-right portion of the console, you will find the on/off switch. The illuminated light next to the switch will indicate whether the unit is on or off. Near the center/bottom of the unit, you will see the mode switch which will be discussed in greater detail for our specific lab exercises. Some of our projects will require that you use the Reset or Standby settings of the next switch. Normally, however, it will be set to the Run setting. Finally, the Stimulus Intensity setting will be used at various times in the lab to control the brightness of the light in the operant chamber.

Operant Chamber

The Chamber is affixed to a mount which also holds the pellet dispenser (the part with the clear plastic cylinder and lid). The chamber itself has a number of components that are important for us: the stimulus light, the bar-press manipulandum located next to the food dish, and the ceiling mounted lever manipulandum, each of which will be described in the context of a lab exercise.

Equipment Maintenance

There is an equipment maintenance chart on the wall of the laboratory next to the whiteboard calendar. You are required to complete an equipment check prior to beginning each laboratory exercise, and sign the form after you have completed it. This will help to ensure that you do not experience equipment malfunctions during your exercise.

Potential Problems with the Equipment

Due to the nature of the equipment (particularly the pellet-delivery system), some types of problems occur more frequently than others. For example, jams in the pellet dispenser can on occasion which will prevent the food reinforcer from falling into the food cup. If this happens, turn off the operant chamber and insert a straightened paper clip into the v-shaped duct that leads from the dispenser to the food dish. If this does not correct the problem, or if you have a different problem, ask the instructor for assistance

Policy on Eating/Drinking in the Lab or Vivarium

Because we will be working directly with electronic equipment, it is important that food or drinks are not brought into the lab. If you bring these items to class, please leave them outside the lab on the counter or coat rack located just outside the lab.

Keeping Records

Weight Records

You will be keeping records on the weight of your rat throughout your time working in the lab in at least two placeston the identification card of the rats cage, and on a weight graph of your own design. These records will be checked regularly, so be sure to be accurate and up-to-date. Your graph record and clipboard should always be kept in your assigned mail-slot in the lab when not in use.

Data Records

These refer to the actual behavioral data you will collect from your rats. In some instances, you will complete pre-constructed data sheets, and in others, you will be asked to design your own data sheets. In any case, the accuracy and safe-keeping of these records is your sole responsibility. I recommend keeping data sheets in the lab, which is locked when not in use. Bringing data sheets home or keeping them in a car is not recommended, but is ultimately up to you. Keep in mind that if your data are lost or stolen, you are still responsible for them.

Animal Maintenance

Food

The food the rats receive while in their home cages is a specially formulated diet which meets all the nutritional requirements for rodents, and is called maintenance chow or blox for the rest of the course. This food is formulated and manufactured by Purina Mazuri (exotic animal) division.

The pellet reinforcements are a more palatable version (Corn Syrup has been added) of the rats maintenance chow and is manufactured to be of consistent size, weight, and composition. It is Manufactured by Research Diets, Inc., of New Brunswick, NJ. (Product # PJA/1-00045).

Cleaning the rat Cages

You are required to clean your rats cage once per week on either a Wednesday or Friday, either immediately before our class time or immediately after. You will find a check list on the wall of the vivarium next to the thermostat. Be sure you complete all items on the list and to sign your initials in the space provided after you complete the task.

The Time involved in the Laboratory Exercises

Time management can be a difficult issue with work in the lab. As you will see, some exercises will proceed quite quickly with little effort, and others will seem to take an inordinate amount of time to complete. With this in mind, you should be prepared to make an appointment with me to use the lab when required during the non-operational hours. I will make every effort to open the lab for you during other times during the week.