Disruption of brightness discrimination in a shock avoidance task by phencyclidine and its antagonism in rats

• Published in: The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics Vol. 225; no. 3; pp. 503 - 508
• Main Authors: Tang, A H, Franklin, S R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.1983; American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
• Subjects: Anesthetics, Dissociative - pharmacology; Animals; Avoidance Learning - drug effects; Discrimination Learning - drug effects; Drug Antagonism; Electroshock; Male; Phencyclidine - pharmacology; Photic Stimulation; Psychotropic Drugs - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Structure-Activity Relationship

Rats were trained to make a simultaneous brightness discrimination in order to avoid or escape foot shocks in an automated Y-maze. Brightness discrimination was completely disrupted by phencyclidine (PCP, 3 mg/kg), ketamine (30 mg/kg) and dexoxadrol (10 mg/kg). At these doses, there was increased lo...