Within-session repeated acquisition behavior in rats as a potential model of executive function

Eur J Pharmacol. 2004 Sep 13;498(1-3):125-34. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2004.04.054.

Abstract

Higher levels of cognition, such as executive functions, are known to be disrupted in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. As a potential model of executive function, rats were trained in a three-lever operant conditioning chamber to respond on two of the three levers in one of six possible correct sequences. When the rat completed a two-response sequence correctly for 10 consecutive trials, the correct sequence was randomly changed to another two-response sequence without signaling the rat. Rats readily acquired the behavioral baseline and completed all six response-sequences within a 60-min session. Phencyclidine, MK-801 ((5S,10R)-(+)-5-Methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine), apomorphine, scopolamine and triazolam all produced dose-related decreases in the total number of sequences completed. Phencyclidine and MK-801 markedly increased all errors while scopolamine produced modest increases; triazolam increased only total and intrarule errors, while apomorphine had no significant effect on errors. The present results suggest that within-session repeated acquisition of response sequences has the potential to be a useful model for studying executive function in rats.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apomorphine / pharmacology
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology*
  • Cognition / drug effects
  • Cognition / physiology*
  • Conditioning, Operant / physiology
  • Dizocilpine Maleate / pharmacology
  • Dopamine Agonists / pharmacology
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / pharmacology
  • GABA Modulators / pharmacology
  • Male
  • Models, Animal
  • Motor Activity / drug effects
  • Muscarinic Antagonists / pharmacology
  • Phencyclidine / pharmacology
  • Psychomotor Performance / drug effects
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred F344
  • Scopolamine / pharmacology
  • Triazolam / pharmacology

Substances

  • Dopamine Agonists
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists
  • GABA Modulators
  • Muscarinic Antagonists
  • Triazolam
  • Dizocilpine Maleate
  • Scopolamine
  • Phencyclidine
  • Apomorphine