Role of Rat Frontal Association Area in Response Inhibition in a GoNoGo Task

Presenter

Cornelis Hollenbach

Group Members

Kenzo Garcia Alvarez

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

David Moorman, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 5, 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A66, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 4 (A61-A80) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

To determine the role of the frontal association area (FrA) in response inhibition, bilateral adeno-associated viruses containing Designer Receptors Activated Only by Designer Drugs (DREADD) were injected into the FrA. Intracranial self-stimulation was administered through a stimulating electrode in the right median forebrain bundle (MFB).Rats were trained in a Go No-Go task with a 50:50 trial ratio and two nose-poke holes. Go trials required rats to execute a nose poke into the illuminated hole, which would then initiate a 500 ms tone cue (1kHz). Successfully holding for 500 ms, illuminated the right nose-poke. If nose-poked within 2s of illumination, MFB stimulation was administered, alongside three tones (100ms each, 2.5kHz). During No-Go trials, rats nose-poked into the illuminated hole, immediately followed by a 500ms cue tone (3.5kHz). This indicated a hold of the nose-poke for an additional 500ms following termination of tone.DREADD-mediated-FrA-inhibition via deschloroclozapine (DCZ) increased Go poke hold times compared to dimethyl-sulfoxide (DMSO). DCZ significantly prolonged hold times and exhibited a trend toward reducing Go tone errors during FrA inactivation. However, DCZ did not significantly impact No-Go trial performance. Moving forward,  we will explore the effects of bilateral dual injections with a higher total dosage with injections into both hemispheres. This will allow us to determine whether increased area coverage will enhance the effects we observed. 

Keywords

Frontal Association Area, Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs, GoNoGo, Rodent, novel brain region

Research Area

Neuroscience and Cognitive Science

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