Interneuron relationships in the basolateral amygdala in cats treated to select food on the basis of quality.

Cats were initially trained to make operant conditioned food responses to light by an "active selection of reinforcement" method. Provision of low-quality (a mixture of meat and bread) or high-quality (meat) reinforcement depended on the animal pressing a pedal in response to switching on a light with a short (1 sec) or long (10 sec) delay. Some animals responded to long delays--group I, animals with "self control," while others responded with short delays--group II, "impulsive" animals.

[Interneuronal relationships in the basolateral amygdala of cats trained for choice in the quality of food reinforcement].

The alimentary instrumental conditioned bar-pressing reflex was elaborated in cats by the method of "active choice" of either short-delayed reinforcement with bread-meat mixture of delayed more valuable reinforcement with meat. The animals differed in behavior strategy: some animals preferred bar-pressing with the long delay (the so-called "self-control" group), other animals pressed the bar with short delay (the so-called "impulsive" group). The multiunit activity in the basolateral amygdala was recorded with chronically implanted nichrome microelectrodes.