Assessing attention and impulsivity in the variable stimulus duration and variable intertrial interval rodent continuous performance test schedules using dopamine receptor antagonists in female C57BL/6JRj mice.

Rationale: Dopaminergic dysfunction is implicated in disorders of impulsivity and inattention. The rodent continuous performance test (rCPT) has been used to quantify changes in attention and impulsivity.

Objective: To examine the roles of dopamine receptors in attention and impulsivity behaviours measured in the rCPT variable stimulus duration (vSD) and the variable intertrial interval schedules (vITI) using DA receptor antagonists.

Assessing attention and impulsivity in the variable stimulus duration and variable intertrial interval rodent continuous performance test schedules using noradrenaline receptor antagonists in female C57BL/6JRj mice.

Rationale: Noradrenergic dysfunction is associated with disorders of impulsivity and inattention. The rodent continuous performance test (rCPT) quantifies changes in attention and impulsivity.

Objective: To use NA receptor antagonists to examine the roles of NA on attention and impulsivity behaviours measured in the rCPT variable stimulus duration (vSD) and the variable intertrial interval (vITI) schedules.

Assessing the nature of premature responses in the rodent continuous performance test variable intertrial interval schedule using atomoxetine and amphetamine.

Background: Rodent operant tests that include premature responses (PR) as a measure of impulsivity commonly use variable intertrial interval (vITI) schedules. The rodent continuous performance test (rCPT) is suitable for a vITI schedule.

New Method: We optimised the analysis for a rCPT vITI schedule with intertrial intervals (ITIs) of 3, 6, and 12 s.

Reduced Hippocampal GABA+ Is Associated With Poorer Episodic Memory in Healthy Older Women: A Pilot Study.

: The current pilot study was designed to examine the association between hippocampal γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentration and episodic memory in older individuals, as well as the impact of two major risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD)-female sex and Apolipoprotein ε4 ( ε4) genotype-on this relationship. : Twenty healthy, community-dwelling individuals aged 50-71 (11 women) took part in the study. Episodic memory was evaluated using a Directed Forgetting task, and GABA+ was measured in the right hippocampus using a Mescher-Garwood point-resolved magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) sequence.

Gabor patterns as stimuli in a rodent visual attention task.

Background: Gabor patterns are defined as the product of a sinusoid function and a Gaussian envelope and are commonly used in visual and attentional research due to their ability to selectively stimulate the primary visual cortex. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Gabor patterns can be used as visual stimuli in the rodent continuous performance test (rCPT), a newly developed task to study attentional function and impulsivity.

Methods: Sixteen male C57BL/6 J mice were trained in the rCPT using Gabor patterns as visual stimuli and their performance was compared to sixteen mice that were trained using traditional high-contrast pattern stimuli.