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ISSN : 1226-9654

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Attention Deficits Induced by L-dopa Injection after Locus Coeruleus Lesions in the Rat

The Korean Journal of Cognitive and Biological Psychology / The Korean Journal of Cognitive and Biological Psychology, (P)1226-9654; (E)2733-466X
1989, v.1, pp.48-56
Ok-Kyoung Cho (Korea University)
Jung-Soo Han (Korea University)
Ki-Suk Kim (Korea University)
Cho, O., Han, J., & Kim, K. (1989). Attention Deficits Induced by L-dopa Injection after Locus Coeruleus Lesions in the Rat. The Korean Journal of Cognitive and Biological Psychology, 1, 48-56.

Abstract

The attentional process by which animals learn to ignore an irrelevant stimulus was examined after the treatment with L-dopa or bilateral electrolytic lesions of locus coeruleus(LC). Rats received daily 100 trials of two-way avoidance training in which each trial was initiated by a 10-sec tone stimulus and terminated either by a shuttle response during the tone(avoidance) or by a response during the electric shock(escape). The training sessions continued until the animals met a criterion of eight avoidance responses during any ten consecutive trials. The same rats then received a 50 trials test session. A light, which was irrelevant because it had never been paired with shock, was randomly presented during the test period. The administration of L-dopa produced marked impairment in tuning out the irrelevant stimulus, but LC lesion group did not show any attentional deficits. When L-dopa injection was superimposed to LC lesions, the deficit was increased. It may be interpreted that the result is due to an interaction between the noradrenergic and dopaminergic system. This interaction in ignoring an irrelevant stimulus may provide an animal model of selective attention deficit observed among some schizophrenic patients.

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Submission Date
1989-10-20
Revised Date
1989-11-12
Accepted Date

The Korean Journal of Cognitive and Biological Psychology

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