L-Dopa and piribedil alter different components of attentional behavior dependent on dose

L-Dopa (3, 10, 30, 100 mg/kg) given SC after carbidopa, and piribedil (10, 30, 100, 300 mg/kg) had biphasic effects on investigation of a novel cup. Gerbils given a low dose of L-Dopa (10 mg/kg) or piribedil (10 or 30 mg/kg) investigated the cup more than did vehicle-injected gerbils, whereas those gerbils given a high dose of L-Dopa (100 mg/kg) or piribedil (300 mg/kg) investigated it less. L-Dopa, but not piribedil, also had biphasic effects on investigation of conspecific odors. The increase in duration with no increase in frequency of investigation suggested an inability to shift attention normally. High-dose attenuation of investigation is considered nonspecific, as many other drugs have the same effect. Locomotor activity scores showed no concomitant increase following low doses, but only a dose-dependent decrease. In addition, L-Dopa (100 mg/kg), but not piribedil at any dose tested, prevented the normal decrement in response to the cup 24 h after injection. As a high response is normally only shown when the stimulus is novel, the data suggest that L-Dopa at the high dose, but not piribedil, interfered with selective attention. Thus, the different dopamine agonists affected different aspects of attention. The data are discussed in relation to neural effects of the drugs as reported in the literature.