Fig. 2: Reward behavior.
a. Liquid consumption in single housed male mice The Tal1cko mice showed increased drinking when only water was available and the difference was even larger when saccharin was available (ANOVA genotype F1,45 = 94.6, p < 0.001; ANOVA condition F1,45 = 314.0, p < 0.001; interaction F1,45 = 117.2, p < 0.001; *p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001, between genotypes, t-test) N = 47 (29 WT M; 18 KO M). b. Liquid consumption (lick number) of female mice, housed in social groups in the IntelliCage, was increased in the Tal1cko mice (F1,77 = 26.7, p < 0.0001 with water only; F1,77 = 27.5, p < 0.0001 with water and saccharin), N = 79 (43 WT F; 36 KO F). c Preference for sweet taste (0.5% saccharin), as calculated from total consumption of liquid, was not different between the Tal1cko and wild-type mice in either sex (F1,77 = 0.002, p = 0.96, p < 0.05) (F1,77 = 0.002, p = 0.96, p < 0.05). d Delay discounting in the IntelliCage—preference for saccharin expressed as percentage of licks at increasing delays to opening the door to saccharin side (RM ANOVA genotype F1,22 = 3.0, p = 0.097). In the wild-type mice, saccharin preference was significantly lower than 50% already at a delay of 6 s (p = 0.04, one sample t-test), whereas it remained close to 50% in the Tal1cko mice mice even at 8 s delay (p = 0.33, one-sample t-test). The difference was also detected between the genotypes (p = 0.047, t-test) at 8 s delay, *p < 0.05, between genotypes, N = 24 (13 WT F; 11 KO F). e Delay discounting—percentage of visits with door to saccharin opened at increasing delays (RM ANOVA genotype F1,22 = 6.4, p = 0.019), N = 24 (13 WT F; 11 KO F).
