The five-hole box is an operant chamber which is fitted with an array of five response apertures into which the rat can make a “nosepoke” response. Each hole can also be illuminated by a stimulus light located inside it which often signals to the rat when a nosepoke response is required. Such nosepokes are detected by an infra-red beam located at the entrance to each hole. The rat can be rewarded by activation of an externally-located pellet dispenser which delivers sugary pellets into a food tray located on the opposite wall to the five-hole array. The boxes are controlled by customised computer software. Each chamber is enclosed in a sound-attenuating box and equipped with a fan to provide ventilation and mask any extraneous noise. These boxes can also be custom-fitted with extra hardware such as retractable levers, extra cue lights, and additional pellet dispensers.