09 марта 2016г.
The use computers in physiology was limited chie fly to data processing and model ma king. Rare ly, in behaviora l science, computers directly acquire data and control some para meters and the mo ment of application of the stimuli. Others are feedback design of exsperiments. In such cases one has always to deal with original hardware and software and specially constructed sensory and operating facilit ies.
Presented in the paper is an original progra mmab le feedback loop with the intravenous drug delivery and bar - pressing data acquisition system, which is of great interest for behavioral pharmacology.
Key words: feedback, hard ware, software, intravenous admin istration, drug, re inforce r Hardwa re
The devise is an automatic controlling system that provides continuous steady work, for every sma ll technical
handicap has a negative effect on instrumental behavior device. A b lock diagram of the overall system is presented in fig.1. As the diagram indicates the computer monitoring system consists of five basic blocks: 1.A chamber for the a nima l,
2. installed bar slide 3. metering pump. 4. co mputer interface, and 5. co mputer ch amber for the anima l. The latter is constructed of clear acrylic plastic giving an unobstructed view of the anima l. Installed on it is the bar -carriage, wh ich involves an engine, two bars balanced in weight. Ba r-press monitoring is accomplished when reed relays attached to the platform happen to be in the field of magnets fixed on the bars. The pump involves a pulse engine, an automatic system for drug administration into the animal s organism, and a pulse generator operation TTL device for a manual act ivat ion. The computer interface is connected between the computer and the bar-metering pump via bits input and output ports and provides their operation via output control base port by computer (according to the relevant algorithm) . Fo r bar -slide the data are transferred to the computer via an input base port.
Software
The program written in Object PASCAL language for this system has been with the DOS 6.22 operating system which goes together the IBM PC 286. The program is called NARFAX and is given a modular structure. Each module defines an overlay region, the total me mory capacity required during run t ime is of the order of 50 Kbyte.
Control of para meters: when program is being used, it is always possible to introduce new or modify the e xisting parameters fro m the keyboard via graphica l menu. Verificat ion of para meters can be carried out b y permanent registration
on the termina l screen. On the termina l is screen visualized real-t ime mu ltip lication of events of experimental session: Le ft and Right bar slide, pu mp-activation, bar pressing, in rea l or testing regime .
Para meters: Date, Time , GenerFN, type label, File Nu mber, Anima l Nu m, Group, Reg ime, Lesion, Preference, Regime , mass, Drug1, Drug2, Dose1, Dose2, Vo lu me, Duration, predefined Time Out, predefined Ma x Time, predefined Maxnu mb, rea l Session Time , predefined Criter Time, Le ft Side N, Right Side N, Pretrainng Delay, predefined Criterion, sex. The features of the main root structure are presented on the terminal screen in in a menu and sumbenus and are listed underneath. To e xecute a given submodule simply choose an appropriate ite m.
‗FILE‘
‗Reg istration‘’ of Nu mber, Group, Lesion, Prefe rence, Regime , mass, sex para meters ‗Save Reg File ‘ ’ save registration part of para meters
‗Open Reg File ‘ ’ open the registration part of file
‗Na me Sort‘ ’ sorting data file with na me
‗Time Sort ‘ ’ sorting data file with time
‗Correction‘ ’ change the registration part parameters
‗Quit p rogra m‘
SETUP
Setup Regime ‘’ selection of design of e xsperimets
Setup Pump‘’ setup intravenous infusion of drug portions at a programmed rate Purking‘ ’ Pu rking of bars
TestDose‘ ’ manual de livery o f test dose of drug
‗MONITOR‘ ’
‗Monitoring‘ ’ during the e xsperiment
Continue‘ ’ continue the e xsperiment after a te mporary stop Auto Save‘ ’ automatic save datas in file portions
‗SA VE‘
Save‘’ save data in file at the end of e xpe riment
Save Cotinue‘ ’ save data in file a fter a te mpora ry stop
‗SHOW DATA‘
Na me Sort‘’ sorting file with na me Time Sort‘’ sorting data file with time
Show Data‘ ’ read and display on screen the results of a given e xsperiment
‗PRINT‘
Print Head‘ ’ printing the registration part of para meters Print Data‘ ’ printing the results of a given e xsperiment PrepToPrScr‘ ’ printing the graphical by printScrin Exp ToExe l ’ e xsport tha datas to EXEL
‗TEST‘
Momitoring AU‘ ’ automat ic testing the without anima l Continue AU‘ ’ auto matic testing of continueation of e xperiment Auto Save AU‘ ’ auto matic testing of autosave
Monitoring M‘; ’ manual testing the run without anima l
Test Pump‘ ’ testing of pump
The program runs in full automated regime and is easy to use; the user is guid3d in the various steps he/she has to take by a menu displayed on the terminal screen. The results of a given exsperiment are dispayed on screen, can by printed out and stored in text file on a disk, the data storage format is standardized: each data file starts with a parameter block containing info rmation about the original e xsperiment and anima l, and time series of events in the body of the file.
The computer program described in the paradigm for intravenous self-ad min istration of addictive psychotropic drugs in albino rats makes it feasible to measure separately the intesity of drug seeking and drug taking behavior. And to study in each of them a variety of effects. For e xa mp le during an expe riment a fixed -radio schedule FR(FR:1S) in response to a bar-press presented to the anima l is the so-called secondary reinforcer (lighting of a valve above the bar) and a signle drug dose is being introduced intravenously. Later the e xperiment is carried out at fixed -rat io schedule FR10(FR:S) in response to 9 bar-press only a secondary reinforcer is presented to the anima l. At the same time, in the period of presentation of secondary reinforcer (10,15 or 20 sec) the program provides an automatic withdrawal of the bar out the cage, and its return at the end of this period. This fixed -ratio schedule together with the secondary reinforcer the first single dose is intravenously introduced at the tenth bar-pres. In case the rat receives the first single dose within 5 min ( criteria l t ime) in response to every consecutive 9 presses the program provides, together with the segondary reinforcer, the intravenous injection. The program provides for the condition of an experiment by fixed –ratio schedule FR10(FR:4S) and FR10(FR:8S). while carryng out an experiment by fixed-ratio schedule FR(FR:2S) the secondary reinforcer is presented to the animal in response to every second bar-press, while together with to every second bar-pres. white together with the presentation of the secondary reinforcer the first single dose is introduced at its tenth presentation. In all cases of 9 consecutive presses the experiment is carried out according to FR1(FR:1S),schedule. FR10(FR:8S) Fixed -rat io schedule provides the presentation of the secondary reinforce r in response to the 8th press, respectively.
Thus, the computer-progra m-guided e xperiment developed by us and the operant instruments make it feasible to measure separately the intensity of drug seeking and drug taking behavior, it a lso provid3es accurate data recording and e xperiment management without the experimenter s interference.
