Selective Attention

Higgins et al. [55] evaluated the effect of caffeine on Long–Evans (LE) and Cesareanderived (CD) rat performance in a selective attention task, the 5-CSRTT. The effects of caffeine were compared to the selective A2A antagonists, SCH 412348 and KW-6002, and the A1 antagonist, DPCPX. Caffeine (3–10 mg/kg, i.p.) increased reaction time in both LE and CD rats, with no effect on accuracy, an effect replicated by SCH 412348 (0.1–1 mg/kg PO) and KW-6002 (1–3 mg/kg PO), but not DPCPX (3–30 mg/kg PO). The faster response speed was observed in both the CD and LE rat strains at 3 mg/kg, although increased premature responses were confined to the LE strain at the 10 mg/kg dose. These results suggest that the attention-enhancing effects of caffeine were mediated through A2A receptor blockade. Selective A2A receptor antagonists may therefore have potential as therapies for attention-related disorders, such as ADHD.
