Differential effects of intra-accumbens and systemic amphetamine on latent inhibition using an on-baseline,within-subject conditioned suppression paradigm

Latent inhibition (LI) is a phenomenon in which repeated, non-reinforced presentation of a stimulus retards subsequent conditioning to that stimulus. Several recent experiments have suggested that LI is abolished following acute, low doses of amphetamine given during pre-exposure and conditioning, and this effect has been attributed to amphetamine-induced changes in dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens. Experiments 1 and 2 examined the effects of two doses of intra-accumbensd-amphetamine (10 µg/µl and 3 µg/µl) on LI in an on-baseline, within-subject conditioned suppression paradigm. There was no effect of either dose on LI, but a significant disinhibition of conditioned suppression resulted in a retardation of learning. In experiment 3 the effects of a low dose of systemicd-amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg) on latent inhibition were examined. The results replicated the abolition of LI found in previous studies, and demonstrated enhanced post-shock suppression in amphetamine-treated animals. These data provide no evidence for the involvement of the mesolimbic dopamine system in LI.     

Reduced dopamine function within the medial shell of the nucleus accumbens enhances latent inhibition

Latent inhibition (LI) manifests as poorer conditioning to a CS that has previously been presented without consequence. There is some evidence that LI can be potentiated by reduced mesoaccumbal dopamine (DA) function but the locus within the nucleus accumbens of this effect is as yet not firmly established. Experiment 1 tested whether 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced lesions of DA terminals within the core and medial shell subregions of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) would enhance LI under conditions that normally disrupt LI in controls (weak pre-exposure). LI was measured in a thirst motivated conditioned emotional response procedure with 10 pre-exposures (to a noise CS) and 2 conditioning trials. The vehicle-injected and core-lesioned animals did not show LI and conditioned to the pre-exposed CS at comparable levels to the non-pre-exposed controls. 6-OHDA lesions to the medial shell, however, produced potentiation of LI, demonstrated across two extinction tests. In a subsequent experiment, haloperidol microinjected into the medial shell prior to conditioning similarly enhanced LI. These results underscore the dissociable roles of core and shell subregions of the NAc in mediating the expression of LI and indicate that reduced DA function within the medial shell leads to enhanced LI.     

The role of mesolimbic and nigrostriatal dopamine in latent inhibition as measured with the conditioned taste aversion paradigm

Repeatedly presenting a non-reinforced stimulus normally retards conditioning to this stimulus when it is coupled to a reinforcer. This phenomenon is called latent inhibition. Since latent inhibition is disturbed after systemic administration of amphetamine, the present study investigated the role of the mesolimbic and nigrostriatal dopamine terminal fields in latent inhibition using a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) paradigm. In this paradigm, a 5% sucrose solution was used as the test stimulus and lithium chloride (LiCl) as the CTA inducing drug. The degree of CTA was assessed by measuring the sucrose preference in a two-bottle sucrose/water choice paradigm 24 h after the LiCl injection. Since conditioned taste aversion has so far not been used to evaluate the role of dopamine in latent inhibition, we first studied the effects of systemic application of amphetamine. The results show that intraperitoneal injections of 0.25 or 0.5 mg/kg d-amphetamine sulphate (given at preexposure and conditioning) significantly disrupted latent inhibition, by selectively reducing sucrose preference in the preexposed group. This could not be attributed to a reduced sucrose intake during preexposure or to a conditioned taste aversion effect of amphetamine itself. In experiment 2 local bilateral administration of 10 μg/0.5 μl amphetamine into the nucleus accumbens or the dorsal striatum was given in the pre-exposed and the conditioning phase, after which the rats were allowed to drink for a fixed period of time. The results show a significant reduction in latent inhibition after intrastriatal, but not after intra-accumbens injections of amphetamine. Intra-accumbens injections of amphetamine, however, significantly reduced fluid intake during preexposure and conditioning. In experiment 3, we therefore repeated this experiment, but allowed the animals to drink only a restricted amount of liquid during preexposure and conditioning. Again the results show a disruption of latent inhibition after intrastriatal, but not intra-accumbens injections of amphetamine. These experiments emphasize the importance of the nigrostriatal dopamine system in the disruption of latent inhibition, at least when using the conditioned taste aversion paradigm. A possible mechanism by which the dorsal striatum might influence latent inhibition is discussed. Received: 22 November 1995 /Final version: 20 August 1996     

Haloperidol enhances latent inhibition in visual tasks in healthy people

We have previously shown that 0.5mg haloperidol (IV) increased latent inhibition in one of two visual tasks. The present study analysed the effects of a higher dose of haloperidol (1.0 mg, IV) on latent inhibition in these two visual tasks in healthy volunteers in a randomised controlled trial. In the task where 0.5 mg haloperidol had enhanced latent inhibition, 1.0 mg had the same effect, thus replicating the previous result. In the task where 0.5 mg haloperidol had been ineffective, 1.0 mg haloperidol enhanced latent inhibition in high schizotypal subjects only. This indicates that subjects with higher schizotypy scores are more sensitive to dopamine blockade. A comparison of the results from the studies at the two different doses suggests a dose dependence of haloperidol’s effects on latent inhibition that parallels results from animal work. Received: 10 January 1997 /Final version: 24 April 1997     

Chronic low dose risperidone and clozapine alleviate positive but not negative symptoms in the rat neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion model of schizophrenia

Rationale The rat neonatal ventral hippocampal (VH) ibotenic lesion model has been proposed as a developmental model of schizophrenia, based on evidence that it encompasses aspects of the disorder including psychomotor agitation (hyperactivity), deficits in prepulse inhibition (PPI), and deficits in social interaction (SI), measures presumed to reflect positive symptoms, sensory gating deficits and negative symptoms, respectively. However, validation of the model as a predictive pharmacological screening tool has been minimal.Objective Determine the effects of a chronic 3-week low dose treatment of clozapine or risperidone on locomotor hyperactivity, PPI and SI in lesioned and control rats.Results Both clozapine, 2.5 mg/kg per day IP and risperidone, 0.1 mg/kg per day IP, reversed lesion-induced locomotor hyperactivity; however, the compounds also decreased locomotor activity in the non-lesioned controls. Clozapine 2.5 mg/kg per day and risperidone 0.1 mg/kg per day significantly attenuated lesion-induced PPI deficits. Neither compound induced a significant attenuation of lesion-induced SI deficits. In order to see if SI deficits required a higher dose of an antipsychotic, the dose of clozapine was increased to 4 mg/kg per day; however this dose induced such marked decreases in the activity and startle responses in the control rats, i.e. up to 74% decrease, that the effects on the lesioned rats could not be adequately interpreted.Conclusions These data add further support to the neonatal VH lesion model as a predictive pharmacological screening assay for identifying compounds effective in the treatment of positive symptoms of schizophrenia. However, the usefulness of the model in detecting compounds effective in treating negative symptoms of schizophrenia is still in question.     

Latent inhibition in 35-day-old rats is not an "adult" latent inhibition: implications for neurodevelopmental models of schizophrenia

Rationale Latent inhibition (LI) refers to retarded conditioning to a stimulus as a consequence of its inconsequential preexposure. Amphetamine-induced disruption of LI and its potentiation by antipsychotic drugs (APDs) in the adult rat are well-established models of schizophrenia and antipsychotic drug action, respectively. It is not clear whether LI can be similarly modulated at prepubertal age.Objectives In view of the notion that schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder whose overt expression depends on postpubertal brain maturational processes, we investigated whether several manipulations known to modulate LI in adult rats, including systemic administration of amphetamine and the atypical APD clozapine, are capable of producing the same effects in prepubertal (35-day-old) rats.Methods LI was measured in a thirst motivated conditioned emotional response (CER) procedure in which rats received 10 or 40 tone preexposures followed by 2 or 5 tone-footshock pairings.Results Like in adults, LI was present with 40 preexposures and 2 conditioning trials. In contrast to findings in adults, LI was resistant to disruption by amphetamine at a dose (1 mg/kg) that significantly increased locomotor activity, as well as by reducing the number of preexposures to ten, increasing the number of conditioning trials to five, or changing the context between preexposure and conditioning. Clozapine (5 mg/kg) and the selective 5HT2A antagonist M100907 (0.3 mg/kg) administered in conditioning were without an effect on "persistent" LI with extended conditioning, but were capable of disrupting LI when administered in the preexposure stage, as found in adults.Conclusion The results point to functionality within brain systems regulating LI acquisition but not those regulating LI expression in periadolescent rats, further suggesting that postpubertal maturation of the latter systems may underlie schizophrenia-mimicking LI disruption reported in adult rats following perinatal manipulations and possibly disrupted LI observed in schizophrenia.     

Amphetamine disruption of prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle is reversed by depletion of mesolimbic dopamine

Previous studies have demonstrated that dopamine (DA) agonists disrupt sensorimotor gating as measured by prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response (ASR) in rats; other reports suggest that this stimulant-induced disruption of PPI may reflect drug-induced increases in ASR amplitude rather than changes in sensorimotor gating. In the current study, 6-hydroxydopamine lesions that depleted dopamine from the nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercles and anterior striatum reversed the disruption of PPI caused by amphetamine (AMPH), but did not disrupt AMPH potentiation of ASR baseline. These findings strongly suggest that increased mesolimbic DA activity is one substrate of the AMPH-induced disruption of PPI; in contrast, AMPH potentiation of baseline startle amplitude may be independent of mesolimbic DA activation.     

Effect of treatment status on prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle in schizophrenia

Rationale. The acoustic startle response is inhibited when the startling stimulus is preceded by a weaker non-startling acoustic stimulus. This phenomenon, termed prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle (PPI), is impaired in schizophrenics compared to normal controls. To date, there is conflicting evidence regarding whether PPI impairments improve with antipsychotic treatment. Objectives. To examine the effect of medication status on PPI in schizophrenic subjects. Methods. First, we performed acoustic startle testing on 16 schizophrenic subjects when they were acutely decompensated off medication and later after they were stabilized on antipsychotic treatment. Second, in a between-group design, we tested 21 schizophrenic subjects off medication, 16 subjects on atypical neuroleptics, and 27 subjects on typical neuroleptics. Results. In both the test-retest study and the between-group study, ANOVAs revealed no significant changes in startle to pulse alone stimuli, habituation of startle to pulse alone stimuli, PPI, latency to response onset, or latency to response peak between the treatment conditions. Conclusions. Our results do not support the hypothesis that impaired sensorimotor gating in schizophrenia improves with antipsychotic treatment. Rather, impaired gating persists despite symptomatic improvement on medication. Electronic Publication     

Effects of antipsychotic drugs on latent inhibition: sensitivity and specificity of an animal behavioral model of clinical drug action

Latent inhibition (LI) of a conditioned emotional response (CER) has been proposed as a quantitative measure of selective attention. We have assessed the parallels of the pharmacology of LI in rats with the clinical pharmacology of schizophrenia. Drug and vehicle treated rats were divided into groups and preexposed 20 times to cage illumination as a CS, or not preexposed. All groups were conditioned with 2 CS-footshock pairings. The following day CER, as measured by interruption of drinking in response to CS presentation, was recorded. LI was observed as a decreased CER in preexposed relative to non-preexposed animals. LI was enhanced by haloperidol 0.3 mg/kg after 7 or 14 daily treatments, but not after a single acute dose. Haloperidol doses of 0.3 and 0.03 mg/kg enhanced LI, while doses of 0.003 and 3.0 mg/kg had no effect. Haloperidol enhancement of LI was unaffected by the coadministration of the anticholinergic agent trihexyphenidyl. Enhancement of LI is exhibited by the antipsychotic drugs fluphenazine, chlorpromazine, thiothixene, thioridazine, mesoridazine, and metoclopramide but not clozapine. The non-antipsychotic drugs pentobarbital, imipramine, chlordiazepoxide, trihexyphenidyl, and promethazine failed to enhance LI. LI exhibits striking parallels to the clinical pharmacology of schizophrenia.Preliminary data were presented in part at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, 1989     

Adenosine-dopamine interactions in the ventral striatum Implications for the treatment of schizophrenia

 The ventral striatum is included in brain circuits which connect brain areas classically ascribed to the motor or to the limbic system. In fact, the ventral striatum is involved in the connection between motivationally relevant stimuli and adaptive behaviours. Dopamine neurotransmission in the ventral striatum is essential for the increase in motor activity produced by motivational, salient, stimuli, such as food or novelty or by the administration of psychostimulants. Adenosine plays a role opposite to dopamine in the striatum and adenosine agonists produce similar behavioural effects as dopamine antagonists. On the other hand, adenosine antagonists, like caffeine, produce similar effects to increased dopaminergic neurotransmission in the striatum. Specific antagonistic interactions between specific subtypes of adenosine and dopamine receptors in the basal ganglia play an essential role in the behavioural effects of adenosine agonists and antagonists. In particular, a strong antagonistic interaction between adenosine A_2A and dopamine D₂ receptors seems to take place in the striopallidal GABAergic neurons which originate in the ventral striatum. Therefore, adenosine A_2A agonists provide a potential new treatment for schizophrenia, since the dopamine D₂ receptors of the ventral striopallidal neurons appear to be involved in the antipsychotic effects of neuroleptics. In fact, in animal models, the adenosine A_2A agonist CGS 21680 has a profile of antipsychotic with a low liability to induce extrapyramidal side effects. Received: 10 March 1997 / Final version: 1 May 1997     

Amphetamine-induced disruptions of latent inhibition are reinforcer mediated: implications for animal models of schizophrenic attentional dysfunction

Latent inhibition (LI) is a phenomenon observed when repeated, non-reinforced presentation of a stimulus results in a retardation of subsequent conditioning to that stimulus. Several recent experiments have suggested that LI is abolished in conditioned suppression paradigms following acute, low doses of amphetamine given during pre-exposure and conditioning. Experiment 1 sought to increase the generality of this finding in an appetitive LI paradigm, using a dose of amphetamine previously shown to disrupt the LI effect in an aversive paradigm (Killcross and Robbins 1993). However, no evidence for any disruption of LI was found. Experiment 2 extended this investigation to additional, higher doses ofd-amphetamine, and also examined the role of reinforcer magnitude in the effect. A non-significant trend towards an attenuated LI effect was found, which was reversed by decreases in the concentration of the sucrose reinforcer. Experiments 3 and 4 investigated the influence of systemic amphetamine in aversive paradigms, with specific attention to the increased response to the aversive footshock reinforcer found in amphetamine-treated animals. These experiments revealed that the influence of amphetamine on the LI effect in conditioned suppression paradigms could be reversed by reducing the intensity of footshock used in conditioning, thereby paralleling the effect found in the appetitive paradigm. Therefore it is unlikely that a simple attentional account of the abolition of the LI effect in previous experiments can be sustained.     

Neonatal domoic acid treatment produces alterations to prepulse inhibition and latent inhibition in adult rats

Schizophrenia is a complex and severe mental disorder characterized by positive, negative and cognitive symptoms. Characteristic behavioral alterations reflecting these categories of symptoms have been observed in many animal models of this disorder, and are consistent with those manifested in the clinical population. The purpose of this study was to determine whether early alterations in glutamate signaling would result in alterations to prepulse inhibition (PPI) and latent inhibition (LI); two assessments used for evaluating putative novel animal models with relevance to schizophrenia. In the present experiment, daily subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of 20 μg/kg of domoic acid (DOM) were administered to rat pups from postnatal days (PND) 8-14. When tested as adults, DOM treated rats displayed deficits in PPI that were dependant on both sex and time of day. No differences in startle amplitude, habituation, or movement were found during any test, indicating that the PPI deficits seen could not be attributed to baseline startle differences. Deficits in LI were also apparent when adult rats were tested using a conditioned taste aversion task, with DOM-treated animals displaying a significantly suppressed LI. These results suggest that early treatment with DOM may serve as a useful tool to model schizophrenia which in turn may lead to a better understanding of the contribution of glutamate, and in particular, kainate receptors, to the development and/or manifestation of schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like symptoms in the clinical population.     

Nicotine blocks latent inhibition in rats: evidence for a critical role of increased functional activity of dopamine in the mesolimbic system at conditioning rather than pre-exposure

Latent inhibition (LI) is a cognitive process whereby repeated exposure of a stimulus without consequence impedes the formation of subsequent associations with that stimulus. A number of studies in the rat have reported that LI is impaired by moderate systemic doses of amphetamine, an effect believed to be mediated via dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens. We and others have reported that nicotine has a selective effect in releasing DA in the accumbens rather than the caudate nucleus. We have therefore examined the ability of nicotine to disrupt LI, using a conditioned emotional response paradigm. Pre-exposure of a tone stimulus impaired subsequent conditioning between that stimulus and mild footshock, as indexed by suppression of licking by the tone subsequently presented alone. This LI effect was prevented, by an effect confined to the pre-exposed group, by doses of 0.4 or 0.6 mg/kg nicotine SC, which are accumbens selective, given before pre-exposure and before conditioning. The effect of nicotine in disrupting LI was prevented by prior administration of haloperidol at a dose (0.5 mg/kg) reported to reverse the disruptive effect of amphetamine on LI. Although the amphetamine effect requires two administrations, the effect of two administrations of nicotine was reproduced by a single dose of nicotine given before conditioning, but not by a single dose before pre-exposure. The results are discussed in relation to studies in human control and schizophrenic subjects, which suggest that increased DA activity in humans is also associated with impaired LI. The results indicate that nicotine does indeed increase functional DA activity in the rat accumbens; the consequent disruption of LI critically depends upon an action at the time of conditioning, and is independent of processes which occur during pre-exposure. In more general terms, this indicates the potential of drug experiments to complement behavioural studies on the mechanism of latent inhibition.     

Differential effects of amphetamine and neuroleptics on negative Vs. positive symptoms in schizophrenia

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia were diminished by neuroleptics and increased by amphetamine and accounted for most of the change seen in the total Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Negative symptoms in the same subjects were not affected by neuroleptics but increased after amphetamines to a degree that just attained statistical significance. This increase was due to one item (emotional withdrawal) of the negative symptom factor which responded to neuroleptics and amphetamines as did positive symptoms. These findings are discussed with respect to new ideas about the role of dopamine in schizophrenia.     

Realistic expectations of prepulse inhibition in translational models for schizophrenia research

INTRODUCTION: Under specific conditions, a weak lead stimulus, or "prepulse", can inhibit the startling effects of a subsequent intense abrupt stimulus. This startle-inhibiting effect of the prepulse, termed "prepulse inhibition" (PPI), is widely used in translational models to understand the biology of brainbased inhibitory mechanisms and their deficiency in neuropsychiatric disorders. In 1981, four published reports with "prepulse inhibition" as an index term were listed on Medline; over the past 5 years, new published Medline reports with "prepulse inhibition" as an index term have appeared at a rate exceeding once every 2.7 days (n=678). Most of these reports focus on the use of PPI in translational models of impaired sensorimotor gating in schizophrenia. This rapid expansion and broad application of PPI as a tool for understanding schizophrenia has, at times, outpaced critical thinking and falsifiable hypotheses about the relative strengths vs. limitations of this measure. OBJECTIVES: This review enumerates the realistic expectations for PPI in translational models for schizophrenia research, and provides cautionary notes for the future applications of this important research tool. CONCLUSION: In humans, PPI is not "diagnostic"; levels of PPI do not predict clinical course, specific symptoms, or individual medication responses. In preclinical studies, PPI is valuable for evaluating models or model organisms relevant to schizophrenia, "mapping" neural substrates of deficient PPI in schizophrenia, and advancing the discovery and development of novel therapeutics. Across species, PPI is a reliable, robust quantitative phenotype that is useful for probing the neurobiology and genetics of gating deficits in schizophrenia.     

Sensitization to amphetamine,but not phencyclidine,disrupts prepulse inhibition and latent inhibition

Rationale Schizophrenia has been linked to dysregulation of dopamine and glutamate transmitter systems. Attempts to model aspects of schizophrenia in animals have made use of treatments that primarily affect dopaminergic (e.g., amphetamine, Amp) and glutamatergic (e.g., phencyclidine, PCP) function. In addition to exerting short-term acute effects, these agents also induce long-term effects, as seen, for example, in neurochemical and behavioural sensitization.Objectives The goal of this work was to compare Amp- and PCP-sensitized states on two measures of information processing that are impaired in schizophrenia, prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reflex and latent inhibition (LI).Methods Rats received injections of Amp, PCP or saline 3 days per week for 3 weeks. The Amp dose increased from 1 to 3 mg/kg, at the rate of 1 mg/kg each week. The PCP dose was 3 mg/kg throughout. After various periods of withdrawal rats were tested for PPI and LI.Results Repeated intermittent treatment with Amp or PCP resulted in augmented locomotor responses to challenge with each drug, providing an operational index that sensitization had occurred. Rats sensitized to Amp showed disrupted PPI when tested drug free at 3, 21 and 60 days of withdrawal. Amp-sensitized rats also showed abolition of the LI effect. Rats sensitized to PCP did not show deficits in any of these behaviours when tested drug free.Conclusions Because disrupted PPI and LI have both been reported in schizophrenic patients, these results suggest that the Amp-sensitized state may represent a useful model for investigating the neural bases of information processing deficits in schizophrenia.     

氟西汀联合抗精神病药物治疗伴有强迫症状的精神分裂症患者的效果

目的 探讨氟西汀联合抗精神病药物治疗伴有强迫症状的精神分裂症患者的临床效果。方法 收集2013年1月至2014年12月收治的具有强迫症状的精神分裂症患者80例,根据数字表法将患者分为观察组与对照组,各40例,开展前瞻性研究,对照组给予抗精神病药物治疗,观察组在抗精神病药物治疗的基础上加用氟西汀,治疗4、8周后观察两组患者临床疗效,以及阳性与阴性症状量表(PANSS)、Yale-Brown强迫症状量表(Y-BOCS)和生活质量评分变化,同时记录不良反应的发生情况。结果 观察组的总有效率为90%,显著高于对照组的70%,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);治疗4、8周后,两组患者的PANSS、Y-BOCS评分均低于治疗前;且观察组的PANSS、Y-BOCS评分均低于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P均<0.05);观察组治疗后的物质生活、躯体功能、心理功能、社会功能及总分均高于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P均<0.05)。结论 对有强迫症状的精神分裂症患者采用氟西汀联合抗精神病药物治疗,能有效改善患者的精神症状及强迫症状,有利于提高患者的生活质量。     

Enhancement of latent inhibition by two 5-HT2A receptor antagonists only when given at both pre-exposure and conditioning

Rationale. Clozapine-like atypical antipsychotic drugs, such as olanzapine, risperidone and sertindole, bind most strongly to 5-HT_2A receptors, which may contribute to their antipsychotic effects. Antipsychotic drugs, such as clozapine and haloperidol, have been found to enhance latent inhibition (LI) in humans and rats. LI is a process of learning to ignore irrelevant stimuli that is disrupted in acute, positive-symptom schizophrenia, and can be modelled in animals. Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of two selective 5-HT_2A receptor antagonists, SR 46,349B and ICI 169,369, on LI, as a test of their antipsychotic potential. Methods. Doses of the 5-HT_2A receptor antagonists that were sufficient for receptor blockade were determined in 5-HT behavioural syndrome tests. SR 46,349B and ICI 169,369 were then tested for enhancement of LI and reversal of amphetamine-induced attenuation of LI in a conditioned suppression paradigm. Results. SR 46,349B (0.6–2.4 mg kg^–1 i.p.) and ICI 169,369 (10–40 mg kg^–1 i.p.) antagonised 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)-induced head twitches and wet dog shakes, which are mediated by 5-HT_2A receptors, but had no effect on mCPP-induced hypolocomotion, which is mediated by 5-HT_2C receptors. Neither SR 46,349B (1.2 mg kg^–1 i.p.) nor ICI 169,369 (40 mg kg^–1 i.p) affected 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT)-induced forepaw treading, suggesting that they were not in vivo 5-HT_1A receptor antagonists. SR 46,349B (2.4 mg kg^–1 i.p.) and ICI 169,369 (40 mg kg^–1 i.p.) enhanced LI when given at both the pre-exposure and conditioning stages of the paradigm, but not when given at either pre-exposure or conditioning only. Both drugs also reversed the disruption of LI induced by D-amphetamine (1 mg kg^–1 i.p.). Conclusions. The profile of SR 46,349B and ICI 169,369 in LI differs from that of clozapine and haloperidol in LI, which both enhance LI when given only at the conditioning stage of the paradigm.     

Effects of nicotine and amphetamine on latent inhibition in human subjects

Latent inhibition (LI) is a phenomenon in which repeated non-reinforced exposure to a stimulus retards subsequent conditioning to that stimulus; it reflects a process whereby irrelevant stimuli become ignored, and has been the subject of study concerning attentional abnormalities in schizophrenia. Low doses of the indirect dopamine (DA) agonists, amphetamine and nicotine, disrupt LI in the rat. These drugs are believed to disrupt LI via DA release in the nucleus accumbens; LI in amphetamine- and nicotine-treated rats is reinstated by administration of the DA antagonist haloperidol. In human subjects, low doses of amphetamine abolish LI, and more recently haloperidol has been shown to potentiate LI. The present study investigated the effects of nicotine on LI in human subjects, and also attempted to replicate the abolition of LI by amphetamine. Nicotine failed to affect LI when administered either subcutaneously or by cigarette smoking. LI was, however, abolished in a group of subjects given 5 mg amphetamine 90 min before testing. Supplementary analyses of the data pooled from all three experiments showed that, in contrast to an earlier report, LI was no weaker in smokers than in non-smokers.