Dynamical decision patterns of preference-based food choice in rats

Abstract

One of the important questions in decision making is a seeking a quantitative model to describe the process of decision making referred to an evaluative process of selecting a specific action from a number of alternative choices in a given situation. However, the temporal dynamics of preference-based decision making patterns including their structures and properties, and their neurobiological mechanism have not been fully understood. To examine temporal and sequential features of choice sequence based on flavored food preference test, rats voluntarily chose one of four differently flavored pellets, but nutritionally identical. The choice sequence was classified by its rank of consumption, not by flavor. Scale-free properties were observed from the analysis of intervals that consecutive same choice. Animal’s choice was systematically influenced by the history of past choices. There was positive serial dependence in rat’s choice. The distribution of choice run was characterized as a power-law with exponential cut-off. The exponents of power-law distribution were differently exhibited with rank. This study provides insights into a series of decision making with different degree of preference and reward learning process in animals including humans. These findings further suggest that the dynamic characteristics of flavored food choice can be mediated by association of different neural correlates related to reward processing.