Amphetamine-induced recovery of visual cliff performance after bilateral visual cortex ablation in cats: measurements of depth perception thresholds.
After bilateral visual cortex ablation, cats exhibit a loss of depth perception as measured on a visual cliff, which recovers following administration of d-amphetamine. In this Study, 3 amphetamine-treated cats with visual cortex ablations showed a rapid and enduring recovery, with 2 of these animals obtaining levels of performance seen only with binocular vision, suggesting a restoration of binocular depth perception. Cats with asymmetrical lesions showed only a transient improvement during amphetamine treatment, and some animals not displaying autonomic signs of amphetamine intoxication did not improve. Saline-treated cats showed no signs of improvement, and the effect of amphetamine was blocked by the catecholaminergic antagonist haloperidol. These results indicate that amphetamine can induce an enduring recovery from a behavioral deficit after brain injury, which if left untreated would not spontaneously recover.
Hovda
D A
DA
University of New Mexico.
Sutton
R L
RL
Feeney
D M
DM
D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D003867:Depth Perception / Q000187:drug effects*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000187:drug effects; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000187:drug effects; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects; D009949:Orientation / Q000187:drug effects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000187:drug effects; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000187:drug effects*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000187:drug effects
D000661:Amphetamine; D006220:Haloperidol