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The use of reaction time distributions to study attention in male rats: the effects of atomoxetine and guanfacine

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Abstract

Rationale

Norepinephrine (NE) is involved in the control of sustained attention. Studies of sustained attention in humans include measures of reaction time (RT) and RT variability (RTV). The present study tested the role of NE using components of the RT distribution in rats in a manner thought to be similar to human studies of RTV.

Objectives

This study tested the effects of increased synaptic NE (atomoxetine (ATX)) and α-2 receptor binding (guanfacine) on attentional lapses in rats.

Methods

Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 20) were trained and tested in a two-choice RT task (2CRTT). Atomoxetine dose (saline, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 mg/kg, i.p.), guanfacine dose (saline, 0.01, 0.1, 0.3 mg/kg, i.p.), and distractors were manipulated in three experiments. RT was divided into initiation time (IT) and movement time (MT). Analyses of distribution mode (peak) and deviation from the mode (skew) were then performed.

Results

ATX and guanfacine had no effect on IT mode, reduced IT devmode, and increased MT mode. When distractors were introduced, ATX again improved devmode, but a lack of interaction between ATX and distractor indicated that ATX did not prevent distractor-induced impairments.

Conclusions

IT devmode is a measure of distribution skew thought to reflect lapses of attention. The effects of ATX on IT devmode suggest that increased synaptic NE reduces attentional lapses. These findings are consistent with human reports of reduced RTV after ATX administration. The same pattern of results with guanfacine suggests that the effects of increased NE are due in part to binding at α-2 noradrenergic receptors.

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Funding

The department of Psychology at the University of Mississippi provided funding for this project.

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  1. Pooja Chawla

    Present address: Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, VA, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The University of Mississippi, PO Box 1848, University, MS, 38677, USA

    Zach V. Redding & Karen E. Sabol

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  1. Zach V. Redding
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Correspondence to Karen E. Sabol.

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All procedures using animals were approved by the University of Mississippi Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

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Redding, Z.V., Chawla, P. & Sabol, K.E. The use of reaction time distributions to study attention in male rats: the effects of atomoxetine and guanfacine. Psychopharmacology 236, 3579–3592 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-019-05329-6

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