Chemogenetic inhibition of prefrontal projection neurons constrains top-down control of attention in young but not aged rats

Duggan MR, Joshi S, Strupp J, Parikh V (2021) Chemogenetic inhibition of prefrontal projection neurons constrains top-down control of attention in young but not aged rats. Brain Struct Funct 226(7):2357-2373. doi: 10.1007/s00429-021-02336-2

Objective: To test the hypothesis that reduced PFC output would exert differential effects on attentional capacities in young and aged rats, with the latter exhibiting a more robust decline in performance.

Summary: There is a reduced efficiency of PFC-mediated top–down control of attention and cholinergic system in aging, and that activity of PFC output neurons does not reflect compensation in aged rats, at least in the attention domain.

Related Products: 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01)

See Also:

• Dalley JW et al. Cortical cholinergic function and deficits in visual attentional performance in rats following 192 IgG-Saporin-induced lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex. Cereb Cortex 14(8):922-932, 2004.
• Newman LA et al. Cholinergic deafferentation of prefrontal cortex increases sensitivity to cross-modal distractors during a sustained attention task. J Neurosci 28:2642-2650, 2008.
• Maddux JM et al. Dissociation of attention in learning and action: effects of lesions of the amygdala central nucleus, medial prefrontal cortex, and posterior parietal cortex. Behav Neurosci 121(1):63-79, 2007.