The role of the dorsal striatum on memory and attention, evaluated by the startle response

• Grant number: 11/17024-4
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Physiological Psychology
• Principal researcher: Tatiana Lima Ferreira
• Grantee: Samanta Rodrigues
• Home Institution: Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Recently, the interest by brain systems that mediate implicit memory (non-declarative) has increased. Studies that examined the cognitive impairments observed in neurodegenerative disorders suggest that dorsal striatum (DS) is involved with this type of memory. Using the freezing conditioned response as a memory (fear) index, previous studies from our laboratory found that the DS is involved with classical fear conditioning to a discrete stimulus in rodents. This involvement seems limited to somatomotor responses and was not observed when analyzing the neuroendocrine responses (corticosterone and ACTH). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of DS lesion in other somatomotor conditioned response, the startle behavior. The animals will undergo stereotaxic surgery to implantation of cannulae into to DS and, after the recovery period, they will go submitted two behavioral paradigms: of the Fear potentiated startle and Pre-pulse Inhibition. In experiment 1, a GABA A agonist - muscimol- will be administered into to DS in order to promote a temporary inactivation of this region during behavioral taks. In the second stage of this study it will investigate the role of striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission system in these same tasks, using selective antagonists for the D1 and D2 receptors.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

RODRIGUES, SAMANTA; SALUM, CRISTIANE; FERREIRA, TATIANA L. Dorsal striatum D1-expressing neurons are involved with sensorimotor gating on prepulse inhibition test. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, v. 31, n. 4, p. 505-513, APR 2017. Web of Science Citations: 6.