title: Effects of central alpha-MSH injections on performance in a cued discrimination task.
abstract: Alpha-MSH has been implicated in changing attention behavior following peripheral injections, but no brain sites were studied. In the present report, alpha-MSH was injected directly into specific sites in the medial anterior hypothalamic/preoptic area (MAHPOA) while measuring performance in a visually cued discrimination task. Alpha-MSH injections resulted in reduced errors, indicated by decreased responding during noncued intervals, but no change in responding to correct cues. The improved error rate was consistent with attentional changes in a variety of paradigms. Attentional and motivational parameters were differentiated. The injected alpha-MSH appears to act on an inhibitory component of an attentional mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Basic Life Sciences, University of Missouri-Kansas City 64108.
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Resch
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Simpson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000494:pharmacology; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D007032:Hypothalamus, Anterior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008845:Microinjections; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D013696:Temperature; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000521:alpha-MSH; D015232:Dinoprostone