title: The continuous performance test (rCPT) for mice: a novel operant touchscreen test of attentional function.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Continuous performance tests (CPTs) are widely used to assess attentional processes in a variety of disorders including Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Common human CPTs require discrimination of sequentially presented, visually patterned 'target' and 'non-target' stimuli at a single location.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study were to evaluate the performance of three popular mouse strains on a novel rodent touchscreen test (rCPT) designed to be analogous to common human CPT variants and to investigate the effects of donepezil, a cholinesterase inhibitor and putative cognitive enhancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  C57BL/6J, DBA/2J and CD1 mice (n = 15-16/strain) were trained to baseline performance using four rCPT training stages. Then, probe tests assessed the effects of parameter changes on task performance: stimulus size, duration, contrast, probability, inter-trial interval or inclusion of flanker distractors. rCPT performance was also evaluated following acute administration of donepezil (0-3 mg/kg, i.p.).
  
  
  RESULTS
  C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice showed similar acquisition rates and final baseline performance following rCPT training. On probe tests, rCPT performance of both strains was sensitive to alteration of visual and/or attentional demands (stimulus size, duration, contrast, rate, flanker distraction). Relative to C57BL/6J, DBA/2J mice exhibited (1) decreasing sensitivity (d') across the 45-min session, (2) reduced performance on probes where the appearance of stimuli or adjacent areas were changed (size, contrast, flanking distractors) and (3) larger dose- and stimulus duration-dependent changes in performance following donepezil administration. In contrast, CD1 mice failed to acquire rCPT (stage 3) and pairwise visual discrimination tasks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  rCPT is a potentially useful translational tool for assessing attention in mice and for detecting the effects of nootropic drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
authors.forename: Chi Hun
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hvoslef-Eide
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
authors.forename: Simon R O
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.affiliation: Academic Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Imperial College London, SW10 9NH, London, UK.
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Academic Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Imperial College London, SW10 9NH, London, UK.
authors.forename: Bronwen R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Herbert
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
authors.forename: Trevor W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Robbins
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Saksida
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Bussey
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK. adam.mar@nyumc.org.|Department of Neuroscience and Physiology Neuroscience Institute, New York University, New York, NY, USA. adam.mar@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Adam C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Mar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects; D000077265:Donepezil; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006801:Humans; D007189:Indans / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D007189:Indans; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D010880:Piperidines; D000077265:Donepezil
keywords: Continuous performance test; Donepezil; Mouse; Mouse strain differences; Touchscreen operant chamber