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The Journal of Neuroscience, February 1, 2003, 23(3):1066
Genetic Vasopressin Deficiency Facilitates Performance of a
Lateralized Reaction-Time Task: Altered Attention and Motor Processes
J. David
Jentsch
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles,
California 90095-1563
 |
ABSTRACT |
Brattleboro rats are a variety of the outbred Long-Evans strain
that possess a single nucleotide deletion in the second exon of the
arginine vasopressin gene, resulting in the synthesis of an altered
protein that does not enter the normal secretory pathway. Rats
heterozygous (di/+) for the deletion have a partial vasopressin deficiency and exhibit a variety of behavioral and neurochemical alterations compared with normal wild-type Long-Evans rats, which provide evidence for a CNS function for vasopressin. Here, we examined the acquisition and performance of a test of visuospatial attention by di/+ Brattleboro rats and their wild-type Long-Evans control counterparts. Surprisingly, di/+ rats exhibited superior performance of the task compared with wild-type controls; performance differences included greater accuracy of detection of visual target stimuli, faster overall reaction times, and fewer trial omissions. Di/+
rats also exhibited more approaches to the reinforcer receptacle at
nonreinforcement times. These results indicate that alterations of
vasopressin signaling result in a clear cognitive phenotype, including
faster motor initiations and superior choice accuracy in a test of
visual attention.
Key words:
attention; vasopressin; Brattleboro rat; cognition; autism; schizophrenia
 |
Introduction |
Although little is known about the
biochemical pharmacology of vasopressinergic synapses in the brain,
substantial evidence supports the notion that this nonapeptide plays a
role in CNS function. Receptors for vasopressin (the V1A receptor in
particular) are expressed in a number of forebrain structures (Barberis
and Tribollet, 1996
), and pharmacologic manipulations of the
vasopressin system can produce alterations of cognitive and social
behaviors in rats (Insel et al., 1999
). Although the effects of
vasopressin analogs on cognition are inconsistent, overall (Strupp and
Levitsky, 1985
), the evolving evidence seems to suggest that
vasopressin regulates various aspects of cognition, including learning,
memory, and/or attention.
Evidence for a role for vasopressin in cognition comes from studies of
the Brattleboro rat. Brattleboro rats are a variety of the Long-Evans
strain that possess a single nucleotide deletion in the second exon of
the arginine vasopressin gene. The resulting frame shift causes
synthesis of an altered protein that does not enter the normal
secretory pathway. Rats homozygous (di/di) for the deletion have no
detectable circulating vasopressin concentration, exhibit a variety of
behavioral and neurochemical alterations compared with normal wild-type
Long-Evans rats, and have diabetes insipidus. Heterozygous (di/+)
Brattleboro rats are partially vasopressin-deficient. A number of
studies have indicated that di/di Brattleboro rats exhibit deficits of
social recognition (i.e., affiliative behavior) (Engelmann and
Landgraf, 1994
), conditioned fear (i.e., affective learning) (Stoehr et
al., 1993
), delayed alternation (i.e., working memory) (Colombo et al.,
1992
), and prepulse inhibition (i.e., sensorimotor gating) (Feifel and
Priebe, 2001
), with di/+ rats generally showing a partial phenotype. It has been suggested that these data indicate that vasopressin plays a
role in regulating a number of psychological domains.
The behavioral impairments in Brattleboro rats have been interpreted as
evidence that these mutant rats may serve not only as a model for
vasopressin deficiency but also for autism (Insel et al., 1999
) and/or
schizophrenia (Feifel and Priebe, 2001
). Central to both of these
disorders are alterations of visual attention; patients with
schizophrenia exhibit deficits of sustained attention (Nuechterlein,
1977
) as well as impairments of executive aspects of attention (e.g.,
attention shifting) (Pantelis et al., 1997
). Interestingly, patients
with autism show enhancements of low-level visual processing, including
visual search, feature discrimination, and superior focused versus
divided attention (Plaisted et al., 1999
; O'Riordan and Plaisted,
2001
; O'Riordan et al., 2001
). These facilitations of low-level visual
processing and attention appear to be in tandem with impairments
of executive aspects of attention (Allen and Courchesne, 2001
).
We sought to evaluate the acquisition and performance by di/+
Brattleboro and wild-type rats of a lateralized reaction-time task that
measures visuospatial attention and motor initiation; homozygous
animals were not studied because of the concern that the consequent
diabetes insipidus may complicate comparisons of food-motivated
performance. In the task used, animals initiate the presentation of a
visual target stimulus at one of two possible spatial locations and
then make a response toward the location of the target. Therefore, this
task requires sustained and divided attention. We also evaluated
response times to gauge motor-initiation speeds in both groups. Here,
we report the results of these investigations; partial vasopressin
deficiency produces superior accuracy of detection and faster
response times.
 |
Materials and Methods |
Subjects. Sixty-day-old male rats [heterozygous
(di/+) Brattleboro or wild-type Long-Evans rats] were purchased from
Harlan (Indianapolis, IN) and were housed in
genotype-specific triads on a 14.5/9.5 hr light/dark cycle, with lights
on at 6:30 A.M.; all behavioral testing was conducted during the
light phase. The subjects were initially deprived of food to 90% of
their free-feeding weights and subsequently fed 15 gm of rat chow per
day in their home cages (1 hr after testing). Water was continuously
available except during the testing period. This feeding schedule was
sufficient to allow all subjects to gain ~5-10% body weight per
week. The experimental protocols used were consistent with the National Institutes of Health's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and were approved by the Chancellor's Animal Research Committee at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Behavioral testing apparatus. The design of the operant
chambers is based on that described by Carli et al. (1983)
. Standard extra-tall aluminum and Plexiglas operant chambers equipped with a
light bulb and infrared beam pellet-delivery magazine on one side and a
curved panel with five nose-poke apertures on the opposite side (Med
Associates, E. Fairfield, VT) were used. The boxes were housed
inside of a sound-attenuating cubicle; background white noise was
broadcast, and the environment was illuminated with a house light (a
light diffuser that was located outside of the operant chamber but
within the cubicle).
Pretraining. All of the rats first received free reinforcer
(45 mg Bioserv dustless precision; Bio-Serv, Frenchtown, NJ)
pellets in their home cages for 3 consecutive days before commencing
training. Subsequently, all rats were trained in a single session in
which the house light was continuously illuminated and single pellets were delivered into an illuminated magazine on a fixed-time 20 sec
schedule over a 45 min period.
One day after magazine training, the rats were trained to make a
sustained nose-poke at the center aperture in three consecutive daily
sessions. On the first day, the session began with illumination of the
house light; a variable-duration nose-poke of 10, 200, 400, or 600 msec
was required in the illuminated center aperture to trigger a pellet to
be dispensed within the head-entry magazine on the back wall (the
nose-poke duration requirements were varied randomly from trial to
trial). When the rat successfully responded for the duration of the
hold period, the head-entry magazine was illuminated and a pellet was
dispensed. After the rat retrieved the pellet, the magazine light was
extinguished, and 3 sec later the center aperture was illuminated to
signal the initiation of another trial. The session terminated after 60 min passed or the rat earned 100 pellets, whichever occurred first. On
the second and third days, the procedure was identical except that the
rat was required to sustain 10, 200, 500, or 700 msec nose-pokes on the
second day and 200, 500, 700, or 1000 msec nose-pokes on the third day.
Acquisition of the lateralized reaction-time task. After
being trained to make the sustained nose-poke, rats began daily testing on the lateralized reaction-time task (the general task contingency is
shown in Fig. 1); in the first four
sessions, a target stimulus of fixed duration was presented for all
trials in a session (which terminated after 60 min or 128 trials,
whichever came first). The task began with the illumination of the
house light and the rats retrieving a single pellet from the magazine.
The center aperture on the opposite wall was illuminated 3 sec later.
The rat was then required to make a sustained, variable-duration
nose-poke (200, 500, 700, or 1000 msec) in the center aperture. After
the sustained nose-poke was completed, the far left or far right
aperture was illuminated for a fixed period (30, 5, 2.5, or 1 sec on
days 1, 2, 3, or 4 of training, respectively). During target
presentation, a nose-poke response at that aperture resulted in a
pellet being delivered at the magazine, and a "correct" choice was
scored. A limited hold period also applied on days 3 and 4; a response within 5 sec of onset of target illumination was reinforced. Three seconds after the pellet was retrieved, the center aperture was illuminated to signal the onset of another trial.

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Figure 1.
Schematic figure displaying the general task
contingency. The trial onset is signaled by illumination of the central
nose-poke aperture. A response of variable duration at the central
aperture then results in target delivery in one of the lateral
apertures. A response toward the target is reinforced; an incorrect
choice or failure to respond (omission) is punished with a 3 sec
time-out.
|
|
When a rat responded at a location that was not that of the target
during target presentation or within the limited hold period, all
lights in the box were extinguished, and the rat was given a 3 sec
"time-out" period in complete darkness; in this case, an
"incorrect choice" was scored. In addition, if the rat made no
response within the target presentation or the limited hold period, the
animal received a 3 sec time-out in darkness and an omission was
recorded. In both cases, the time-out period was immediately followed
by illumination of the house light diffuser and by the illumination of
the center aperture 3 sec later.
An additional contingency was in place to discourage premature
responses. If a rat responded to either of the possible target locations before completing the sustained nose-poke (and before the
target presentation), a 3 sec time-out was given (as above), and an
"anticipatory response" was scored.
Dependent measures for this task included: (1) rate of both correct and
incorrect choices (% of total trials), (2) omission rate (% of total
trials), (3) total anticipatory responses, (4) total trials initiated,
(5) mean initiation latency/trial (the average interval between
illumination of the center nose-poke aperture and the initiation of the
observing response), (6) pellet-retrieval time (the average interval
between pellet delivery and head entry into the magazine), (7) correct
response times (the period between target stimulus onset and a
nose-poke at the response location), and (8) receptacle approaches to
the pellet magazine when no pellet was available. ANOVA (factor:
genotype) was used to test for group differences for all dependent measures.
Variable target-duration condition. One day after the
acquisition period, rats were tested in a session in which the duration of the target stimuli (4.0, 2.0, 1.0, or 0.5 sec) was varied randomly from trial to trial within the session. As above, a response at the
target location within 5 sec of target onset was reinforced. All of the
other task details were identical to those described above, and the
dependent measures were the same, except in this case, rates of correct
and incorrect choices, response times, and omission rate were analyzed
with reference to the stimulus duration (repeated-measures ANOVA).
Other measures were not dependent on the stimulus duration and were
analyzed independently by one-way ANOVA.
Variable target-brightness condition. In a subsequent task,
rats were tested in a session in which the brightness of the target stimuli (80, 60, 40, or 20% of full intensity) was varied randomly from trial to trial within the session, whereas the target duration was
held constant at 1.0 sec. A response to the target location within 5 sec of target onset was reinforced. All of the other task details were
identical to those described above, and the dependent measures were the
same, except here, rates of correct and incorrect choices, response
times, and omission rate were analyzed with reference to stimulus
brightness (repeated-measures ANOVA). Other measures were not dependent
on stimulus intensity and were analyzed independently by one-way ANOVA.
 |
Results |
Acquisition: The 30 sec target
As early as the first testing day on the target-detection task,
the effects of genotype were apparent (Fig.
2). Di/+ rats were faster to initiate
trials (F(1,16) = 24.0;
p < 0.0001) and tended to show faster response times
for correct responses (F(1,16) = 4.3;
p = 0.054). In addition, di/+ subjects made more
inappropriate receptacle approaches to the pellet magazine
(F(1,16) = 22.5; p = 0.0002). However, other measures were not affected by genotype, including correct choices (p = 0.15), incorrect
choices (p = 0.24), omissions
(p = 0.27), numbers of anticipatory responses
(p = 0.47), and pellet-retrieval latencies
(p = 0.22).

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Figure 2.
Acquisition of the lateralized reaction-time task
in di/+ Brattleboro and wild-type animals across four daily sessions in
which the duration of the target stimulus was 30, 5, 2.5, or 1 sec,
respectively. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001; ****p < 0.0001. Error bars indicate SEM.
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Acquisition: The 5 sec target
On the second day of testing (target duration, 5 sec) (Fig. 2),
di/+ rats again showed evidence of heightened response times, including
lower trial-initiation latencies
(F(1,16) = 9.2; p = 0.008) and faster response times
(F(1,16) = 23.8; p = 0.0002). Receptacle approaches
(F(1,16) = 17.2; p = 0.0009) and incorrect choices (F(1,16) = 8.1; p = 0.01) were elevated in the di/+ animals. Other measures were not affected by genotype, including correct choices (p = 0.82), numbers of
anticipatory responses (p = 0.83), or
pellet-retrieval latencies (p = 0.83).
Interestingly, despite no difference in correct choices, di/+ subjects
made dramatically fewer omission errors than did wild-type controls on
this day (F(1,16) = 9.4;
p = 0.0078), indicating a bias to choose incorrectly rather than to omit a response.
Acquisition: The 2.5 sec target
The effects of genotype on performance were similar on day 3, when
the target duration was 2.5 sec (Fig. 2). Trial-initiation latencies
(F(1,16) = 12.2; p = 0.003) and correct response times (F(1,16) = 53.2; p < 0.0001) were again faster in di/+ rats; receptacle approaches
(F(1,16) = 30.2; p < 0.0001) and incorrect choices were again elevated
(F(1,16) = 5.9; p = 0.03). Correct choices were unaffected (p = 0.75), and the omission rate was reduced in di/+ Brattleboro rats
(F(1,16) = 7.1; p = 0.02). Pellet-retrieval times were not affected by genotype
(p = 0.17).
Acquisition: The 1 sec target
When the target duration was reduced to 1 sec on day 4 (Fig. 2),
an effect of genotype on correct choices became apparent (F(1,16) = 5.8 ; p = 0.02); the effect of genotype on the omission rate just failed to reach
significance (p = 0.05). Trial-initiation latencies (F(1,16) = 16.9;
p = 0.0008) and correct response times (F(1,16) = 66.4; p < 0.0001) were shorter in di/+ rats; receptacle approaches were elevated
in di/+ rats (F(1,16) = 10.4;
p = 0.005). Pellet-retrieval times were not affected by
genotype (p = 0.17), nor was the number of
anticipatory responses (p = 0.23) or incorrect choices (p = 0.92). Under this condition, di/+
animals showed slightly longer pellet-retrieval times, although the
difference did not reach significance (p = 0.07).
Variable target-duration session
Data for the variable target-duration session are shown in Figure
3. For the session in which
target-stimulus durations were varied randomly (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, or 4.0 sec) from trial to trial within a session, we found a main effect of
target duration for the rate of correct choices
(F(3,48) = 30.0; p < 0.0001), incorrect choices (F(3,48) = 8.8; p < 0.0001), response times
(F(3,48) = 2.9; p = 0.04), and omission rate (F(3,48) = 12.4; p < 0.0001); these main effects were produced by
fewer correct choices and more incorrect choices and omissions at the
0.5 sec versus the 4.0 sec condition. There were main effects of
genotype for correct choices (F(1,16) = 4.9; p = 0.04), response times
(F(1,16) = 24.7; p < 0.0001), and omission rate (F(1,16) = 4.9; p = 0.04), but not for incorrect choices
(p = 0.97). The main effects of genotype and
target duration interacted for correct choices
(F(3,48) = 3.4; p = 0.02).

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Figure 3.
Performance of a task condition in which
target-stimulus durations are randomly varied within session. Target
durations are 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, or 4.0 sec. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001. Error bars indicate SEM.
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These main effects and interaction were also analyzed by post
hoc comparisons. Scheffé's F test revealed that
the main effect of genotype and genotype × target-duration
interaction were produced by a dramatic facilitation of correct choices
in the di/+ rats only at the briefest duration condition (0.5 sec;
p < 0.001). In contrast, the main effect of genotype
for response times was driven by significantly faster response
initiations in the di/+ rats at all target durations (all
p < 0.001). The main effect of genotype for omissions
was driven by fewer omissions in di/+ rats that were significant for
the 2.0 and 4.0 sec conditions only (p < 0.01).
Di/+ rats also showed other alterations of performance. Genotype
affected the mean trial-initiation latency
(F(1,16) = 5.4; p = 0.03) and pellet-retrieval times
(F(1,16) = 10.1; p = 0.005); for both measures, di/+ rats were significantly faster than
their wild-type counterparts. Di/+ animals also made more approaches to
the pellet receptacle (F(1,16) = 7.8;
p = 0.02), although neither anticipatory responses nor
total trials initiated were affected by genotype.
Variable target-brightness session
Data for the variable target-intensity session are shown in Figure
4. For the session in which
target-stimulus brightness was varied (20, 40, 60, or 80% of full
intensity) randomly from trial to trial within a session, we found a
main effect of target brightness for correct choices
(F(3,48) = 5.9; p = 0.002) and incorrect choices (F(3,48) = 4.5; p = 0.0068) but not for response times or
omission rate. The main effect of genotype for correct choices nearly
reached significance (F(1,16) = 3.6;
p = 0.07); response times were strongly affected by
genotype (F(1,16) = 31.4; p < 0.0001). There were no main effects of genotype
for omissions (p = 0.27) or incorrect choices
(p = 0.3); however, genotype interacted with
target brightness for omissions
(F(1,16) = 3.2; p = 0.03).

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Figure 4.
Performance of a task condition in which target
stimulus brightness is randomly varied within session. Target
brightness is 20, 40, 60, or 80% of full intensity. Target duration is
fixed at 1.0 sec. *p < 0.05;
**p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001. Error bars indicate SEM.
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The main effect of genotype for response times in the
variable-brightness condition was driven by significantly faster
response initiations in the di/+ rats at all target intensities (all
p < 0.001). The genotype × target brightness
interaction for omission rate was driven by higher rates of omissions
in wild-type rats at only the 20% intensity condition
(p < 0.05).
In the variable-brightness task condition, receptacle approaches were
higher in di/+ rats (F(1,16) = 7.9;
p = 0.01). Di/+ rats also exhibited quicker mean
trial-initiation times (F(1,16) = 12.1; p = 0.003). No other measures, including
anticipatory responses or pellet-retrieval times, were affected by genotype.
 |
Discussion |
Heterozygous Brattleboro rats that are partially
vasopressin-deficient exhibit superior visuospatial attention
performance and faster motor-initiation times compared with wild-type
Long-Evans rats, as assessed by a lateralized reaction-time task.
Using both between- and within-session approaches to examine the
effects of variable target duration on performance, we found that di/+ Brattleboro rats were more accurate at detecting relatively brief, but
not longer, visual target stimuli and showed faster motor-initiation times compared with wild-type rats. This greater probability of correct
responses was associated with a specific decrease in omissions and no
change in the rate of incorrect choices (in the variable duration and
brightness conditions), indicating a specific facilitation of correct
choices and suggesting that di/+ rats were less likely to "miss"
the delivery of the target stimuli.
To determine whether motor speeding in di/+ rats alone accounted for
the choice accuracy phenotype, we examined performance in an additional
session in which the brightness but not duration of visual targets was
varied among trials. This condition accounts for possible differences
in response speed, because in this case, the time between the nose-poke
and stimulus onset and offset is held constant across trials. We found
a strong trend for a main effect of genotype (p = 0.07), suggesting that the phenotype is reduced but not eliminated.
These results indicate that the phenotype of di/+ likely includes both
facilitated attention performance and faster motor-initiation speeds.
Vasopressin effects on attention and memory
A host of studies, using both Brattleboro rats and/or
administration of systemically available vasopressin analogs, has
provided evidence for a role for vasopressinergic systems in memory and attention (Strupp and Levitsky, 1985
; Insel et al., 1999
). For example,
homozygous Brattleboro rats have been reported to show deficits of
working memory (Colombo et al., 1992
). Perhaps paradoxically, the
systemic administration of vasopressin receptor agonists also impairs
short-term memory (Sahgal, 1987
).
Sahgal (1988)
provided evidence that the deficits of short-term memory
produced by vasopressin analogs may be attributable to a primary
deficit of visual attention. This finding is roughly consistent with
the current observations and would tend to indicate that
vasopressinergic tone may exert a functionally deleterious influence on
visual attention and/or short-term memory.
The locus of action by which vasopressin induces neurocognitive
alterations is unclear. Both the systemic administration of vasopressin
analogs and the genetic disruption of vasopressin synthesis are
expected to alter vasopressin availability equivalently across tissues.
Therefore, it remains possible that the phenotype of di/+ rats can
result from either direct alterations of vasopressinergic signaling in
brain or from an indirect effect of a primary alteration within
peripheral tissues. Additional studies using intracerebral infusions of
vasopressinergic analogs should help to clarify this issue.
Indirect alterations of monoaminergic function?
The phenotype of di/+ rats is similar in some (but not all)
aspects to that produced by systemically administered stimulants (d-amphetamine or methylphenidate). Both agents, within a
low-dose range, can speed responses and improve choice accuracy in
tasks of visual attention (Sostek et al., 1980
); however, stimulants also increase anticipatory responses (Harrison et al., 1997
), a
phenotype not seen in di/+ rats. However, it is possible that alterations of monoamines, secondary to changes in vasopressin signaling, could contribute, in part, to the performance differences between di/+ and wild-type rats. Of relevance, studies of homozygous Brattleboro rats have provided evidence for increased tissue contents of monoamines in a wide number of brain regions (Dawson et al., 1990
;
Feenstra et al., 1990
). Although neither study provided direct evidence
for heightened transmission of monoaminergic systems (both were
measures of basal levels), it is likely that the higher transmitter
reserve could result in a greater release of transmitter during
metabolically demanding conditions. Therefore, it is noteworthy that
the performance of visuospatial attention tasks is known to be
associated with a greater release of noradrenaline within cerebral
cortical regions (Dalley et al., 2001
). It is possible, then, that the
greater catecholamine reserve in Brattleboro rats could be invoked
during cognitive performance, leading to some of the behavioral
differences reported here.
Relevance to neurodevelopmental disorders
Several investigators have described the vasopressin-deficient
Brattleboro rat as a possible model for schizophrenia and/or autism
(Insel et al., 1999
; Feifel and Priebe, 2001
). Both disorders include
components of altered attention resources, as well as deficient
attention regulation. For example, patients with schizophrenia show
impairments of sustained and divided attention as well as of attention
shifting (Nuechterlein, 1977
). In contrast, autism is associated with
intact, or possibly superior, low-level focused attention (Plaisted et
al., 1999
; O'Riordan and Plaisted, 2001
; O'Riordan et al., 2001
)
coupled with dysfunctional executive aspects of attention (Allen and
Courchesne, 2001
).
The current results are inconsistent with the notion that the
heterozygous Brattleboro rat models the attention dysfunction reported
in schizophrenia. Di/+ Brattleboro rats exhibit deficits of
sensorimotor gating (Feifel and Priebe, 2001
), a phenotype with a
strong similarity to a primary symptom of schizophrenia. However, the
current results indicate that di/+ rats do not model one of the core
features of schizophrenia, namely visual attention dysfunction (Green
and Nuechterlein, 1999
). Clearly, it remains possible that the
homozygous Brattleboro rat may be more useful in this regard, and
additional studies should be directed toward investigating this issue.
The potential contribution of the di/+ Brattleboro rat for autism
research warrants additional investigation. Enhanced visual search and
discrimination in autism (Plaisted et al., 1999
; O'Riordan and
Plaisted, 2001
; O'Riordan et al., 2001
) may result from facilitations of low-level attention; therefore, di/+ Brattleboro rats may mimic that
feature of the idiopathic disease. However, the confirmation of this
relationship awaits additional studies of shifting attention and/or
executive aspects of attention control in di/+ rats, processes that
should be impaired in a valid animal model for autism.
Conclusions
Rats with a genetic deficiency in vasopressin signaling show a
clear phenotype of enhanced visuospatial attention performance and
faster motor-initiation times. The primary role for decreased vasopressin release and/or the secondary role for monoaminergic alterations deserve additional study. These studies may ultimately clarify the relevance of alterations of neurophysin signaling in
neurodevelopmental disorders.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
Received Sept. 3, 2002; revised Oct. 29, 2002; accepted Nov. 13, 2002.
This work was supported by the University of California. I thank
Alexander Arguello for artistic contributions, J. Kristin Martin for
technical assistance, and Luigi Anzivino for useful discussions.
Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. J. David Jentsch, Department
of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles, P.O. Box
951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563. E-mail: djentsch{at}ucla.edu.
 |
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