Continuous performance test impairment in a 22q11.2 microdeletion mouse model: improvement by amphetamine

Transl Psychiatry. 2018 Nov 14;8(1):247. doi: 10.1038/s41398-018-0295-3.

Abstract

The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) confers high risk of neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. These disorders are associated with attentional impairment, the remediation of which is important for successful therapeutic intervention. We assessed a 22q11.2DS mouse model (Df(h22q11)/+) on a touchscreen rodent continuous performance test (rCPT) of attention and executive function that is analogous to human CPT procedures. Relative to wild-type littermates, Df(h22q11)/+ male mice showed impaired attentional performance as shown by decreased correct response ratio (hit rate) and a reduced ability to discriminate target stimuli from non-target stimuli (discrimination sensitivity, or d'). The Df(h22q11)/+ model exhibited decreased prefrontal cortical-hippocampal oscillatory synchrony within multiple frequency ranges during quiet wakefulness, which may represent a biomarker of cognitive dysfunction. The stimulant amphetamine (0-1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) dose-dependently improved d' in Df(h22q11)/+ mice whereas the highest dose of modafinil (40 mg/kg, i.p.) exacerbated their d' impairment. This is the first report to directly implicate attentional impairment in a 22q11.2DS mouse model, mirroring a key endophenotype of the human disorder. The capacity of the rCPT to detect performance impairments in the 22q11.2DS mouse model, and improvement following psychostimulant-treatment, highlights the utility and translational potential of the Df(h22q11)/+ model and this automated behavioral procedure.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amphetamine / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Attention / drug effects
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology*
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants / administration & dosage
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants / pharmacology*
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / drug therapy
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / physiopathology*
  • DiGeorge Syndrome / physiopathology*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Electroencephalography Phase Synchronization / physiology*
  • Executive Function / drug effects
  • Executive Function / physiology*
  • Hippocampus / drug effects
  • Hippocampus / physiopathology*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Modafinil / pharmacology
  • Prefrontal Cortex / drug effects
  • Prefrontal Cortex / physiopathology*
  • Psychomotor Performance / drug effects
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology*

Substances

  • Central Nervous System Stimulants
  • Amphetamine
  • Modafinil