Chronic infusion of PCP via osmotic mini-pumps: a new rodent model of cognitive deficit in schizophrenia characterized by impaired attentional set-shifting (ID/ED) performance.
Journal of neuroscience methods December 15, 2009 Christian Spang Pedersen, Pascal Goetghebeur, Rebecca Dias
A continuous 14-day infusion of the NMDA receptor antagonist phencyclidine (PCP) via osmotic mini-pumps in Lister hooded rats produced a selective deficit at the extra-dimensional shift stage of the attentional set-shifting task, mirroring the executive function impairment seen in schizophrenia. An acute injection of modafinil reversed this deficit. The impairment and its reversal were quantitatively and qualitatively similar to those observed after sub-chronic intraperitoneal PCP administration, suggesting that continuous mini-pump infusion is a viable alternative to systemic injection protocols for modeling cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia.