Amphetamine-induced changes in arousal and locomotion and their effects in neural signaling in the retrosplenial cortex
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Date
2021
Authors
Leon, Rebeca
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
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Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Neuroscience
Abstract
Changes in neural activity induced by amphetamine (AMPH) are thought to be a direct effect of the drug. However, this may be an artifact of motoric output and/or arousal. Here, we used a model of chronic AMPH taking to provide evidence that variations in retrosplenial cortex (RSC) activity are attributable to changes in running speed and pupil area. We show that speed is the best predictor of the average neural activity variance, whereas pupil area makes smaller contributions. Moreover, we found that the relationship between these parameters and neural activity is unaltered during AMPH administration or discontinuation. In other words, AMPH evokes changes in neural activity by changing motoric output and arousal, and not by changing the sensitivity of neural activity to these. Our results provide evidence of the potential for psychostimulants to alter neural activity via movement, and they highlight the importance of motion tracking.
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Keywords
Psychostimulants , Amphetamines , Arousal (Physiology) , Dissertations, Academic , Neocortex , Pupillometry , Running speed , Stimulants