Frequency, duration, and speed of wheel running of rats as a function of age and starvation

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether age differences in amounts of wheel running of starved rats were due to the frequency of bursts of running, to the average duration of bursts, to speed, or to any combination of these parameters. The experiment was carried out according to a 3 by 2 by 2 mixed model design. The independent variables were age (67, 293, and 746 days old at the start of starvation), food deprivation (total starvation vs ad lib), and occasion of measurement (initial vs maximum activity). The dependent variables were number of wheel revolutions, number of bursts of activity, number of seconds of running per burst, and revolutions per second. The results indicated that acutely starved rats run more often, for longer periods, and at higher speeds than do sated rats, and that with increased age rats run less often, for a shorter time, and at slower speeds. © 1973 Psychonomic Society, Inc.