Presentation
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A novel task for measuring prediction abilities in a rat model using a speech-sound discrimination task
Poster E30 in Poster Session E, Saturday, October 8, 3:15 - 5:00 pm EDT, Millennium Hall
Logun Gunderson1, Kelly Brice1, Monica Parra1, Abby S. Engelhart1, Tracy Centanni1; 1Texas Christian University
The ability to predict upcoming environmental stimuli and adapt to unexpected events is vital for all animals, including humans. With respect to spoken language, prediction is especially important due to the speed at which speech sounds occur. Prediction of upcoming stimuli facilitates comprehension at rapid speeds. Prediction deficits are often present in several human neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and dyslexia. It is difficult to determine the biological mechanisms that drive this deficit in humans because of the inability to manipulate individual environmental or genetic risk factors in a controlled laboratory setting. Researchers often use rodent models for this purpose, due to their ability to discriminate between human speech sounds. However, there is no validated task to study speech sound prediction abilities in rat models. In the present study, we developed a novel task to assess the rapid auditory processing (RAP) capabilities of rats in both unpredictable and predictable environments. By introducing a predictive cue to an existing rapid speech sound discrimination paradigm, we were able to assess discrimination in both predictable and unpredictable conditions in a single testing session. Rats were trained to respond to a target sound (/dad/) from within a random stream of distractor sounds (/tad/, /gad/, and /sad/) using an infrared-monitored nose poke in a soundproof chamber. The rats were trained and tested with the sounds presented at 2, 4, 5, 6.7, 10 and 20 syllables per second (sps). In 40% of trials, the sound /bad/ directly preceded the target sound, serving as a reliable predictor. When the predictor was absent, we found that the rats exhibited high accuracy at slow presentation rates, with accuracy decreasing as presentation rate increased, as previously shown. When the predictor was present, we found a similar pattern at the slowest rates, but observed rats responded more frequently to the predictor sound as presentation rate increased, perhaps reflecting anticipation of the upcoming target sound. Overall, these findings suggest that rats are able to use reliable predictive cues about incoming auditory stimuli to more efficiently navigate complex sensory environments. Future studies may utilize this task to assess the genetic, neural, and environmental factors that impact prediction deficits in various human disorders.
Topic Areas: Perception: Auditory, Speech Perception