Interval timing accuracy and scalar timing in C57BL/6 mice.

Abstract

In many species, interval timing behavior is accurate-appropriate estimated durations-and scalar -errors vary linearly with estimated durations. While accuracy has been previously examined, scalar timing has not been yet clearly demonstrated in house mice (Mus musculus), raising concerns about mouse models of human disease. We estimated timing accuracy and precision in C57BL/6 mice, the most used background strain for genetic models of human disease, in a peak-interval procedure with multiple intervals. Both when timing two intervals (Experiment 1) or three intervals (Experiment 2), C57BL/6 mice demonstrated varying degrees of timing accuracy. Importantly, both at individual and group level, their precision varied linearly with the subjective estimated duration. Further evidence for scalar timing was obtained using an intraclass correlation statistic. This is the first report of consistent, reliable scalar timing in a sizable sample of house mice, thus validating the PI procedure as a valuable technique, the intraclass correlation statistic as a powerful test of the scalar property, and the C57BL/6 strain as a suitable background for behavioral investigations of genetically engineered mice modeling disorders of interval timing. KeywordsC57BL/6; interval timing; intraclass correlation; scalar property; peak-interval procedure Time is an essential dimension of the world, determining the decisions we make, the actions we take, and the very precision of our slightest movements (Gallistel, 1990). Organisms have developed a variety of methods to handle the constraints of time (Buhusi & Meck, 2005). For example, interval timing, or timing in the seconds-to-minutes range, is crucial for decisionmaking (Gallistel, 1990) and foraging (Henderson, Hurly, Bateson, & Healy, 2006). Accurate timing, i.e., responding at the appropriate time, has been demonstrated in a wide variety of animals, from invertebrates such as bees (Boisvert & Sherry, 2006), to many vertebrates, suchPlease address correspondence to: Catalin V. Buhusi, Medical University of South Carolina, Dept. Neurosciences, 173 Ashley Ave, 403 Basic Science Bldg., Charleston, SC, 29425-0510, Tel: 843-792-4494, Fax: 843-792-4423, buhusi@musc.edu.. Publisher's Disclaimer: The following manuscript is the final accepted manuscript. It has not been subjected to the final copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading required for formal publication. It is not the definitive, publisher-authenticated version. The American Psychological Association and its Council of Editors disclaim any responsibility or liabilities for errors or omissions of this manuscript version, any version derived from this manuscript by NIH, or other third parties. The published version is available at www.apa.org/pubs/journals/bne. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptBehav Neurosci. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 October 1. (Talton, Higa, & Staddon, 1999), birds (Cheng & Westwood, 1993, and mammals such as rats (Dews, 1962), woodmice (Lejeune & Wearden, 1991) and humans . In most of t...

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Dedicated Clock/Timing-Circuit Theories of Time Perception and Timed Performance

“…As this is typically demonstrated by observing identical response distributions after a scale transform (e.g., divide all distributions by the mean of the distribution), such superimposition of timing functions is referred to as the scalar property of interval timing [17,[28][29][30]. In contrast to many other psychophysical theories that assume that the subjective percept is non-linearly related to the objective input [31,32], Scalar Timing Theory puts forward that the clock stage provides a veridical mapping of objective, external time to subjective, internal time [18].…”

Mice can count and optimize count-based decisions

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