Contributions of striatal dopamine signaling to the modulation of cognitive flexibility.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Although cognitive flexibility is mediated by different areas of the prefrontal cortex, evidence from patients with Parkinson's disease suggests an additional involvement of striatal dopamine (DA) signaling. Because both dorsal and ventral striatum receive prefrontal cortex projections, it is unclear whether DA signaling to either one or both of these regions is required for cognitive flexibility.

Methods

Cognitive flexibility was examined with a water U-maze paradigm in which mice had to shift from an initially acquired escape strategy to a new strategy or to reverse the initially learned strategy. We tested mice with conditionally inactive tyrosine hydroxylase genes that can be activated by Cre recombinase. With region-specific viral gene therapy we selectively

SUBMITTER: Darvas M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3120097 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature