Adaptive aspects of impulsivity and interactions with effects of catecholaminergic agents in the 5-choice serial reaction time task: implications for ADHD.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Work in humans has shown that impulsivity can be advantageous in certain settings. However, evidence for so-called functional impulsivity is lacking in experimental animals.

Aims

This study investigated the contexts in which high impulsive (HI) rats show an advantage in performance compared with mid- (MI) and low impulsive (LI) rats. We also assessed the effects of dopaminergic and noradrenergic agents to investigate underlying neurotransmitter mechanisms.

Methods

We tested rats on a variable inter-trial interval (ITI) version of the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT). Rats received systemic injections of methylphenidate (MPH, 1 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg), atomoxetine (ATO, 0.3 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg), amphetamine (AMPH, 0.2 mg/kg), the alpha-2a adrenoceptor an

SUBMITTER: Toschi C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8373759 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature