title: Interaction of raclopride and preparatory interval effects on simple reaction time performance.
abstract: In a series of three experiments, simple reaction time (RT) was characterized with respect to a variable preparatory interval (PI) in order to investigate the relationship between interval timing and RT. In Experiment 1, it was shown that RT decreases as a function of PI and that this effect varies with amount of training. In Experiment 2, RT was shown to increase during probe trials that used a novel 6.25s PI, suggesting that the specific durations of the PIs encoded during initial training contribute to the PI effect on RT. In Experiment 3, 100 microg/kg i.p. of raclopride proportionally slowed RT as a function of the PI. These results are discussed within the context of neuropsychological models of interval timing and support an underlying role for cortico-striatal dopaminergic function in temporal processing and simple RT measurements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Genome Sciences Research Building II, 3rd Floor, 572 Research Drive, Box 91050, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Macdonald
authors.forename: Warren H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Meck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D020891:Raclopride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D013998:Time Perception / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D020891:Raclopride