Timing: Pharmacology and Conditioning

描述（由申请人提供）：适应性行为必须在适当的时间进行。这项研究的目的是了解这种能力背后的认知和神经机制。该项目的具体目的是研究多巴胺系统影响时间信息处理的机制。在初步工作中，我们复制了充分记录的多巴胺拮抗剂匹莫齐对反应的即时、无条件抑制。然而，我们发现，在服用几次吡莫齐后，可能会对与药物管理相关的刺激产生条件反应。条件反应产生了时间信息处理的变化。这项拨款旨在探索这种条件反应是如何产生的，以及它如何影响信息处理。多巴胺系统与精神疾病有关，如精神分裂症，也许还有抑郁症。通过了解多巴胺系统在认知中的作用，以及通过了解条件作用对药物有效性的贡献，可以开发出更快起效和更有效的治疗方法。此外，这项工作将有助于了解成瘾的操作和治疗。一些成瘾性药物的奖励特性似乎是由多巴胺奖励系统介导的。对多巴胺如何影响认知的理解可以为药物作用提供新的理解。此外，与吸毒有关的线索是药物耐受性、渴望和复发的重要调节因子。因此，更好地理解伴随服药的条件作用过程也可以导致更有效的干预。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Adaptive behavior must be timed appropriately. The goal of this research is to understand the cognitive and neural mechanisms that underlie this ability. The specific aim of this project is to study mechanisms whereby the dopamine system affects temporal information processing. In preliminary work, we replicated the well-documented immediate, unconditioned suppression of responding by the dopamine antagonist pimozide. However, we discovered that after several doses of pimozide, a conditioned response may develop to stimuli associated with drug administration. The conditioned response produces a change in temporal information processing. This grant is designed to explore how this conditioned response arises and how it influences information processing. The dopamine system has been implicated in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and, perhaps, depression. By understanding the role of the dopamine system in cognition and by understanding the contributions of conditioning to the effectiveness of drugs, treatments can be developed that are of more rapid onset and greater effectiveness. Additionally, this work will contribute to understanding the operation and treatment of addictions. The rewarding properties of some addictive drugs appear to be mediated by the dopamine reward system. An understanding of how dopamine affects cognition can provide new understanding of drug effects. Furthermore, cues associated with drug-taking are important modulators of drug tolerance, craving and relapse. Consequently, a better understanding of conditioning processes that accompany drug taking can also lead to more effective interventions.