Characterization of radiation-induced performance decrement using a two-lever shock-avoidance task.

Rats were trained to perform a task involving responses on two levers. Responding on an avoidance lever delayed the onset of electrical footshock for 20 sec and responding on a warning lever turned on a light for 60 sec. When the light was on, the task on the avoidance lever was changed from unsignaled shock avoidance to signaled shock avoidance by preceding the shocks with 5-sec warning tones. The animals preferred the signaled avoidance condition. After 100 Gy of 60Co irradiation, the animals were less able to avoid shock, an effect from which the animals recovered somewhat over 90 min. The response rate on the avoidance lever remained at or above control rates, while the response rate on the warning lever showed an initial increase, followed by a decrease below baseline. The increase in responding on the avoidance lever occurred in bursts just after presentation of the shocks. The data suggest that under these experimental conditions a subject will not respond appropriately to avoid shock or acquire cues that can facilitate the avoidance of shock. The effects, however, do not reflect an inability to perform the required movements but instead appear to reflect some characteristic of the task associated with a particular lever.