Amphetamine improves mouse and human attention in the 5-choice continuous performance test.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Non-medical use of prescription stimulants is prevalent among college students, often attributed to cognitive enhancement.
• The precise effects of stimulants on attention in healthy adults are not well understood.
• The 5-choice continuous performance test (5C-CPT) is a standard measure of attention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the cognitive-enhancing effects of dextroamphetamine (D-amp) on attention in healthy humans and mice.
• To evaluate the 5C-CPT as a cross-species paradigm for studying stimulant effects on attention.
• To compare the effects of D-amp on attention in humans and mice using the 5C-CPT.

Main Methods:

• Healthy human adults received placebo or D-amp (10 or 20 mg) in a double-blind design before completing the 5C-CPT.
• Male C57BL/6J mice were trained on a touchscreen version of the 5C-CPT and received saline or D-amp (0.1, 0.3, or 1.0 mg/kg).
• Performance was assessed by measuring signal detection, hit rate, omissions, response accuracy, and reaction time variability.

Main Results:

• In humans, D-amp significantly improved 5C-CPT performance, increasing hit rate and response accuracy while reducing omissions and reaction time variability.
• In mice, D-amp at 0.3 mg/kg improved signal detection, hit rate, and response accuracy, mirroring human results.
• While both species showed improved attention, D-amp did not affect overall reaction time in either humans or mice, and HRT variability was not affected in mice.

Conclusions:

• Dextroamphetamine demonstrates significant cognitive-enhancing effects on attention in both healthy humans and mice.
• The 5C-CPT serves as a valid and reliable cross-species tool for assessing stimulant-induced attention changes.
• Findings contribute to understanding the mechanisms and extent of stimulant cognitive enhancement in non-clinical populations.