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Haloperidol 2 mg impairs inhibition but not visuospatial attention

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Abstract

Rationale

The dopaminergic system has been implicated in visuospatial attention and inhibition, but the exact role has yet to be elucidated. Scarce literature suggests that attenuation of dopaminergic neurotransmission negatively affects attentional focusing and inhibition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that evaluated the effect of dopaminergic antagonism on stopping performance.

Methods

Dopaminergic neurotransmission was attenuated in 28 healthy male participants by using 2 mg haloperidol. A repeated-measures placebo-controlled crossover design was implemented, and performance indices of attention and inhibition were assessed in the visual spatial cueing task (VSC) and stop signal task (SST). Additionally, the effect of haloperidol on motoric parameters was assessed. It was expected that haloperidol as contrasted to placebo would result in a reduction of the “validity effect,” the benefit of valid cueing as opposed to invalid cueing of a target in terms of reaction time. Furthermore, an increase in stop signal reaction time (SSRT) in the SST was expected.

Results and conclusion

Results partially confirmed the hypothesis. Haloperidol negatively affected inhibitory motor control in the SST as indexed by SSRT, but there were no indications that haloperidol affected bias or disengagement in the VSC task as indicated by a lack of an effect on RTs. Pertaining to secondary parameters, motor activity increased significantly under haloperidol. Haloperidol negatively affected reaction time variability and errors in both tasks, as well as omissions in the SST, indicating a decreased sustained attention, an increase in premature responses, and an increase in lapses of attention, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Helmholtz Research Institute, Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80140, 3508 TC,, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    H.N. Alexander Logemann & J. Leon Kenemans

  2. Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

    H.N. Alexander Logemann

  3. Alan Turing Insitute Almere, Louis Armstrongweg 84, 1311 RL,, Almere, The Netherlands

    Koen B.E. Böcker

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Peter K.H. Deschamps & Chantal Kemner

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Peter N. van Harten

  6. Psychiatric Centre GGZ Centraal, Amersfoort, The Netherlands

    Peter N. van Harten

  7. Psychiatric centre Pro Persona, Siependaallaan 3, 4003 LE, Tiel, The Netherlands

    Jeroen Koning

  8. Adapting Minds, Databankweg 12, 3821 AL, Amersfoort, The Netherlands

    Zsófia Logemann-Molnár

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  1. H.N. Alexander Logemann
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Correspondence to H.N. Alexander Logemann.

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Logemann, H.A., Böcker, K.B., Deschamps, P.K. et al. Haloperidol 2 mg impairs inhibition but not visuospatial attention. Psychopharmacology 234, 235–244 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-016-4454-z

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