title: Differential effects of antipsychotics on lateral bias and social attention in female rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prior research has demonstrated that individuals with schizophrenia may exhibit lateral biases in attention and deficits in social behavior. The use of a noninvasive animal model of attentional impairments in schizophrenia and antipsychotic drugs can help elucidate the biological underpinnings of attentional processes and facilitate the study of novel therapeutics.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of three antipsychotic drugs on measures of lateral bias and social attention in healthy, unoperated female rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female Long-Evans rats selected for a preexisting lateral bias in attention, a right behavioral orientation preference (BOP), were administered clozapine, haloperidol, sulpiride, or vehicle. Lateral bias in attention was assessed by determining which forelimb rats removed a nuisance stimulus from first. Social attention was examined by comparing the latency to remove nuisance stimuli in the presence of a social (inaccessible female rat) versus non-social (blinking clock) distractor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All antipsychotic drugs eliminated right lateral bias in attention, while control animals retained their initial bias. Clozapine eliminated right lateral bias more rapidly than the other drugs. Animals receiving clozapine also selectively displayed increased attention to another rat.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that the antipsychotic medication clozapine rapidly alters attentional bias and uniquely influences attention to a social stimulus. The right BOP paradigm is a useful animal model for comparing antipsychotic drug effects on lateralized attentional bias and attention to social stimuli.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, One University Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63121, USA.
authors.forename: George T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Staci E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Brenda A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Kirchhoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D003024:Clozapine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000187:drug effects; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012919:Social Behavior; D013469:Sulpiride / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D013469:Sulpiride; D003024:Clozapine; D006220:Haloperidol