Figure 4.

Attentional performance under challenging conditions. All data are Mean ± SEM. Behavioral testing in dSAT involved the presentation of distractors (flashing house light @ 0.5 Hz) in the second block. (A) The presentation of distractors reduced dSAT scores in block 2 as compared to blocks 1 and 3 in all animals. Moreover, dSAT scores remained lower in all blocks in trkA-suppressed rats, and this effect was also emphasized in average dSAT performance (B). (C) The performance in signal trials differed significantly across blocks; hit rates in the distractor and post-distractor blocks declined in all groups. Bar charts depict hit rates for each signal duration (D) and averaged over the entire session (E). dSAT performance in signal trials was signal duration-dependent and this effect interacted with the manipulation. Multiple comparisons indicated that hit rates remained significantly lower for all signal lengths in AAV-trkA + vehicle group. Moreover, proNGF blockade restored this decline in trkA-suppressed rats. However, the correct responses on signals with shorter durations also remained lower in animals with intact trkA receptors but infused with proNGF Ab. Average hit rates exhibited a similar pattern with lower performance in AAV-trkA + vehicle and AAV-luc + proNGF Ab groups, respectively. (F) The performance in non-signal trials dropped for all groups in the distractor block and recovered in the post-distractor block. Correct rejections remained lower throughout the dSAT session in trkA knockdown rats infused with proNGF Ab. These data indicate that lower dSAT scores observed in these animals were mainly attributed to higher false alarms as hit rates were not affected. (LSD: * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001)