Effects of dopamine antagonists on neuronal activity related to a delayed response task in monkey prefrontal cortex

1. Using iontophoretic techniques, we investigated the influence of dopamine (DA) antagonists [haloperidol (HAL), a non-selective DA antagonist; sulpiride (SUL), a selective antagonist for D2 receptors; and fluphenazine (FLU), a potent antagonist for D1 receptors] on neuronal activity related to a delayed response (DR) task in the monkey prefrontal cortex (PFC). The DR task was initiated by the rotation of a handle to a central zone and consisted of seven distinct periods: an initial intertrial interval of 0.3 s, a precue period of 1 s (a center green lamp), a cue period of 1 s (left or right lamp), a delay period of 4 s, a go period (red lamp in the center; rotation of the handle to either the left or right zone), a hold period (holding of the handle in either the left or right zone), and a final reward period. Because it was shown, as described in the companion paper (Sawaguchi et al. 1990), that DA augments the increased activity of prefrontal neurons related to the cue, delay, and go periods of the DR task, effects of the DA antagonists were examined in a total of 61 neurons that showed increases in activity related to these periods and a response to DA. 2. Consistent with previous studies (Sawaguchi et al. 1988a, 1990), iontophoretically applied DA increased DR task-related activity in prefrontal neurons. Iontophoretically applied HAL and FLU antagonized the increased effect of DA on the task-related activity. By contrast, SUL did not have any clear effects on the influence of DA. 3. By themselves, HAL and FLU reduced prefrontal neuronal activity related to the cue, delay, and go periods of the DR task. The ratio of the reduction by HAL and FLU was significantly larger for activity during the cue, delay, or go period than for background activity during the precue period; and, as a result, the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of the task-related activity to background activity was reduced during the application of HAL and FLU. In contrast, SUL did not have any clear effects on activity related to the cue, delay, and go periods of the DR task, and the S/N ratio during the application of SUL did not significantly differ from that before the application of the drug.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)