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The influence of the dopamine
D1 agonist SKF 38393 on attentional set shifting in the pigeon Sara J. Goldie, Mathew T. Martin-Iverson and Clive D.L. Wynne University of Western Australia, Australia The neurotransmitter dopamine has been implicated in cognitive and attentional deficits typically exhibited in disorders such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. We investigated the effect of dopaminergic manipulations on attentional set shifting. Twenty four pigeons were trained on the intra-dimensional shift/ extra-dimensional shift (IDS/EDS) task. In this attentional set shifting task subjects are presented with pairs of stimuli that differ along two dimensions. Having mastered the original discrimination they were switched to new stimuli that also differed along the same two dimensions. Half the subjects had to attend to the original stimulus dimension (IDS); half to the previously irrelevant stimulus dimension (EDS). Additionally, half of each group was treated with the dopamine receptor-subtype-1 agonist, SKF38393, and half with vehicle. On a second shift with new stimuli, the subjects that had previously experienced an IDS were exposed to an EDS, and the half that had experienced an EDS were given the IDS. Subjects made more errors on the EDS than the IDS, and those treated with the SKF38393 made more errors on the EDS than those treated with vehicle, and when compared to their own IDS performance. Preliminary results of the effects of the D2 agonist, (+)-4-propyl-9-hydroxynaphthoxazine, (PHNO), on the same task are also presented. Keywords: attention, dopamine, pigeons |
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