The effect of amphetamine on Kamin blocking and overshadowing

• DOI: 10.1097/01.fbp.0000080416.18561.3e
• Publication Date: 2011-04-10T10:12:47Z
• Authors: C. M.P. O'Tuathaigh; C. Salum; A. M.J. Young; A. D. Pickering; M. H. Joseph; P. M. Moran
• Keywords: Latent inhibition; Stimulus (psychology); Blocking effect; Salience (neuroscience)

Schizophrenic patients show deficits on stimulus salience tasks such as latent inhibition and blocking, which measure the ability to disregard irrelevant stimuli. Amphetamine-treated animals similar in analogous tasks, thereby providing a model of stimulus-selection observed schizophrenia. In two experiments, effect indirect dopamine (DA) agonist D-amphetamine sulphate (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) Kamin blocking overshadowing were examined compared, rat, using conditioned lick suppression procedure. The aim was provide some insight into behavioural pharmacological mechanisms underlying amphetamine effects both paradigms. experiment 1, it shown that selectively disrupted when given either at stage 2 alone, or stages task. 2, treatment significantly abolished overshadowing, administered prior compound conditioning tasks. These data suggest may play critical role mediating performance measuring processes. results are discussed framework DA performance.