title: Haloperidol 2 mg impairs inhibition but not visuospatial attention.
abstract: The dopaminergic system has been implicated in visuospatial attention and inhibition, but the exact role has yet to be elucidated. Scarce literature suggests that attenuation of dopaminergic neurotransmission negatively affects attentional focusing and inhibition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that evaluated the effect of dopaminergic antagonism on stopping performance.
  
  
  
  Dopaminergic neurotransmission was attenuated in 28 healthy male participants by using 2 mg haloperidol. A repeated-measures placebo-controlled crossover design was implemented, and performance indices of attention and inhibition were assessed in the visual spatial cueing task (VSC) and stop signal task (SST). Additionally, the effect of haloperidol on motoric parameters was assessed. It was expected that haloperidol as contrasted to placebo would result in a reduction of the "validity effect," the benefit of valid cueing as opposed to invalid cueing of a target in terms of reaction time. Furthermore, an increase in stop signal reaction time (SSRT) in the SST was expected.
  
  
  
  Results partially confirmed the hypothesis. Haloperidol negatively affected inhibitory motor control in the SST as indexed by SSRT, but there were no indications that haloperidol affected bias or disengagement in the VSC task as indicated by a lack of an effect on RTs. Pertaining to secondary parameters, motor activity increased significantly under haloperidol. Haloperidol negatively affected reaction time variability and errors in both tasks, as well as omissions in the SST, indicating a decreased sustained attention, an increase in premature responses, and an increase in lapses of attention, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Research Institute, Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80140, 3508 TC,, Utrecht, The Netherlands. h.n.a.logemann@gmail.com.|Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. h.n.a.logemann@gmail.com.
authors.forename: H N Alexander
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Logemann
authors.affiliation: Alan Turing Insitute Almere, Louis Armstrongweg 84, 1311 RL,, Almere, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Koen B E
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Böcker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter K H
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Deschamps
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Psychiatric Centre GGZ Centraal, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: van Harten
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric centre Pro Persona, Siependaallaan 3, 4003 LE, Tiel, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jeroen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koning
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kemner
authors.affiliation: Adapting Minds, Databankweg 12, 3821 AL, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Zsófia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Logemann-Molnár
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Research Institute, Department of Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80140, 3508 TC,, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J Leon
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Kenemans
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003463:Cues; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D011897:Random Allocation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D006220:Haloperidol
keywords: Attention; Dopamine; Dopaminergic; Haloperidol; Inhibition; Motor activity