Visual discrimination in pigeons impaired by glutamatergic blockade of nucleus accumbens

Physiology & Behavior
P A GargiuloJ D Delius

Abstract

The nucleus accumbens septi (Acc) is thought to be involved in the control of cognitive processes and to be implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Because perceptual-cognitive distortions are a core symptom in schizophrenia, any evidence that the Acc intervenes in a sensory recognition task in an animal species would be of interest. Pigeons were instrumentally trained to discriminate visual shapes. The acute effects of drug microinjections into the Acc on the discrimination of the training shapes, on the correction responding after errors, and on the generalisation to different shapes were examined. The effects of conduction blockade with lidocaine, glutamatergic blockade with 7-aminophosphonoheptanoic acid, and dopaminergic stimulation with apomorphine on behavioural performance were tested. No effects were observed with lidocaine and apomorphine. A significant and reversible performance disruption to near chance levels was obtained after aminophosphonoheptanoic acid injections into the Acc. It appears that a glutamatergic blockade of the Acc interferes with the visual discrimination processes of pigeons.

References

Jan 1, 1990·Schizophrenia Bulletin·M Carlsson, A Carlsson
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Citations

Apr 16, 2004·Behavioural Brain Research·Martin J AcerboJuan D Delius
Jun 5, 2002·Physiology & Behavior·Gabriel MartínezPascual A Gargiulo
Jun 7, 2014·Pharmacological Reports : PR·Pascual Ángel Gargiulo, Adriana Inés Landa De Gargiulo
Jun 28, 2005·Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior·P A GargiuloJ D Delius
Oct 28, 2016·Behavioural Brain Research·Soleil García-BritoPilar Segura-Torres
Jul 1, 2020·Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology·Luis H Llano LópezPascual A Gargiulo
Jun 16, 2018·Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology·Augusto P I GargiuloPascual A Gargiulo
Jan 14, 2020·Neuropsychobiology·Augusto P I GargiuloPascual Ángel Gargiulo

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