Performance of male C57BL/6J mice and Wistar rats in the water maze following various schedules of phencyclidine treatment.
Behavioural pharmacology February 1, 2005 J Podhorna, M Didriksen
To create an animal model of cognitive deficits seen in schizophrenia, researchers tested various doses and schedules of the drug phencyclidine (PCP) in male mice and rats performing a spatial water maze task. A 10-day pre-treatment period prevented PCP-induced motor problems in mice, while 3 days sufficed for rats. PCP impaired spatial learning only when given before daily training trials, not when given immediately after. The optimal dose for producing cognitive impairment with minimal side effects was 2.5 mg/kg. Results indicate PCP disrupts learning and possibly retrieval but not the consolidation of new information.