Informativeness, contingency and time scale invariance in associative learning

Contemporary theories guiding the search for neural mechanisms of learning and memory assume that associative learning results from the temporal pairing of cues and reinforcers resulting in coincident activation of associated neurons, strengthening their synaptic connection. While enduring, this framework has limitations: Temporal-pairing-based models of learning do not fit with many experimental observations and cannot be used to make quantitative predictions about behavior. Here we present behavioral data that supports an alternative, information-theoretic conception: The amount of information that cues provide about the timing of reward delivery predicts behavior. Furthermore, this approach accounts for the rate and depth of both inhibitory and excitatory learning across paradigms and species. We also show that dopamine release in the ventral striatum reflects cue–predicted changes in reinforcement rates consistent with subjects understanding temporal relationships between task event..., Complete Methods are provided in the article: Learning Depends on the Information Conveyed by Temporal Relationships Between Events and is Reflected in the Dopamine Response to Cues. 
Briefly:
Male, Sprague-Dawley rats were housed in groups of two in a colony room on a 12:12 hour light:dark cycle. Water was available ad-lib in the home cages. They were fed in their home cages for one hour after experimental sessions, which occurred 5 days per week. On weekends, they had ad-lib access to food until approximately 22 hours before the first weekday session. They were approximately two months old at the start of training and had been handled for one week before that.  They were trained in eight identical experimental chambers (30.5 cm x 24.1 cm x 21.0 cm) located in ventilated and soundproof boxes. Each chamber was equipped with a speaker, a house light, and a pellet dispenser (Model ENV-203, Med Associates), which delivered 20mg pellets into a head-entry-detecting trough (Models ENV-200R7 a..., , # Informativeness, contingency, and time scale invariance in associative learning

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3xsj3txq8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3xsj3txq8)

This dataset includes the raw data from experiments conducted in the Laboratory of Peter Balsam at the New York State Psychiatric Institute between 2013 and 2017. Experimental details and results are presented in the article: **Learning Depends on the Information Conveyed by Temporal Relationships Between Events and is Reflected in the Dopamine Response to Cues**.

## Description of the data and file structure

## Guide to Raw Data Long Table:

10,092,421 row x 10 column CSV file. The time-stamped event codes in the final two columns (the raw data); the first 8 columns specify experiment, group, and protocol parameters

* Col 1: The experiment number (6 experiments)Col 2: The group/protocol ID: 26 groups, but fewer protocols, because several protocols formed part of more than one experiment—see the 6 parameter columns
* C...

当前指导学习与记忆神经机制探索的主流理论认为，联想学习源于线索（cue）与强化物的时序配对，该过程会使关联神经元同步激活，进而增强其突触连接。该理论框架虽经久不衰，但存在诸多局限：基于时序配对的学习模型无法契合大量实验观测结果，也无法用于行为的定量预测。本文呈现的行为数据支持一种基于信息论的替代构想：线索关于奖励发放时机所传递的信息量可预测动物行为。此外，该方法能够解释不同范式与物种间抑制性与兴奋性学习的速率与深度。我们还发现，伏隔核（ventral striatum）中的多巴胺释放能够反映线索预测的强化率变化，这与实验对象对任务事件间时序关系的认知相符……完整实验方法详见论文：《Learning Depends on the Information Conveyed by Temporal Relationships Between Events and is Reflected in the Dopamine Response to Cues》。

实验简述：
实验采用雄性斯普拉格-道利（Sprague-Dawley）大鼠，以每笼2只的规格饲养于光照周期为12小时光照:12小时黑暗的动物房内。饲养笼内自由饮水。实验每周开展5天，实验结束后大鼠在饲养笼内进食1小时；周末则自由取食，直至首个工作日实验开始前约22小时停止供食。训练开始时大鼠约为2月龄，且在此前已被驯养1周。
实验在8台完全一致的实验箱（30.5 cm × 24.1 cm × 21.0 cm）中进行，实验箱置于通风且隔音的箱体内。每台实验箱配备扬声器、环境灯以及颗粒食物投放装置（型号ENV-203，Med Associates公司），该装置可将20mg的颗粒食物投放至头部探测槽（型号ENV-200R7……）。
# 联想学习中的信息性、关联性与时标不变性
本数据集DOI：[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3xsj3txq8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3xsj3txq8)
本数据集包含2013年至2017年间在纽约州精神病研究所Peter Balsam实验室开展的实验原始数据。实验细节与研究结果详见论文：**《Learning Depends on the Information Conveyed by Temporal Relationships Between Events and is Reflected in the Dopamine Response to Cues》**。

## 数据与文件结构说明
### 长格式原始数据使用指南：
该数据集为10,092,421行×10列的CSV文件。最后两列为带时间戳的事件编码（即原始数据）；前8列用于指定实验、分组与实验范式参数：
1. 第1列：实验编号（共6组实验）
2. 第2列：分组/范式ID：共26个分组，但范式数量更少，因为部分范式被多个实验复用——详见6个参数列
* 内容未完（原文截断）