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Updated: Jul 26, 2026

The Attentional Set Shifting Task: A Measure of Cognitive Flexibility in Mice
Published on: February 4, 2015
Cognitive inflexibility after prefrontal serotonin depletion
H F Clarke1, J W Dalley, H S Crofts
1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK.
Selective serotonin depletion in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) impairs behavioral flexibility, causing perseverative responding. This finding is crucial for understanding neuropsychiatric disorders like OCD and schizophrenia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Serotonin's role in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is unclear.
- PFC serotonergic dysregulation is linked to neuropsychiatric disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specific function of serotonin in the PFC.
- To understand the impact of PFC serotonin on behavioral flexibility.
Main Methods:
- Used a serial discrimination reversal paradigm in marmosets.
- Administered selective serotonin depletion in the PFC.
Main Results:
- Selective PFC serotonin depletion caused perseverative responding to previously rewarded stimuli upon reversal.
- No significant effects on preoperatively learned discrimination retention or novel discrimination acquisition were observed.
Conclusions:
- Prefrontal serotonin is critical for behavioral flexibility.
- Findings are relevant to perseverative behaviors in obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and substance abuse cognitive deficits.
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