Visual attention modulation by the dopaminergic system in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)

Introduction:Visual attention is a cognitive function that impairment in it can lead to multiple psychological and cognitive disorders such as ADHD, ADD, neglect, Alzheimer and schizophrenia.Dopamine, as a main neuromodulator of attention produced in midbrain neurons that project to the prefrontal cortex (PFC).This research aims to examine the role of dopamine in membrane potential regulation in the prefrontal region in modulating visual attention.Methods: Eight-week-old mice of both sexes were anesthetized with urethane and then underwent cranial surgery in the mPFC area.The effects of ventral tegmental area (VTA) stimulation, PFC inhibition with muscimol, and local injection of flupentixol on visual attention were investigated using the in vivo whole-cell Patch clamp technique in both anesthetized and awake states.To demonstrate whether dopaminergic receptors in the mPFC area are involved in the observed changes under the current condition, the non-selective antagonist of dopamine receptors (flupentixol) was used.Results: Our findings indicate that PFC inhibition significantly disrupts visual attention, as evidenced by decreased response accuracy in attention tasks.Conversely, VTA stimulation resulted in reduced neuronal firing rates, further impairing attention.Flupentixol administration resulted in reduced response accuracy and decreased neuronal spike rate, highlighting the importance of dopamine receptor activity in attention modulation Conclusion: These results underscore the complex role of dopamine as a neuromodulator in visual attention processes and highlight the importance of the PFC in attention regulation.Understanding the interplay between the dopaminergic system and the PFC may provide insights into the pathophysiology of attention-related disorders.