This repository will be used in the Flagel Lab for analyzing output from MEDAssociates Operant Chambers.
The Flagel Lab studies the biological basis of reward and motivated behaviors in preclinical rodent models, primarily with a focus on attribution of incentive salience to a cue ('sign-tracking'). We study this behavior using a Pavlovian Conditioned Approach paradigm in MEDAssociates Operant Chambers, where a lever cue is a predictor of reward. Sign-trackers preferentially interact with the lever, while goal-trackers interact with the reward location. Additionally, a Conditioned Reinforcement test is sometimes used to examine incentive value of the lever following PavCA training.