SIMPLE AND CHOICE REACTION-TIME PERFORMANCE FOLLOWING UNILATERAL STRIATAL DOPAMINE DEPLETION IN THE RAT - IMPAIRED MOTOR READINESS BUT PRESERVED RESPONSE PREPARATION

Rats were trained to perform a visual spatial discrimination, where stimulus luminance provided information regarding the required direction of response. The visual stimuli were presented either in advance of a temporally unpredictable auditory imperative stimulus (simple reaction time condition) or simultaneoulsly with the imperative stimulus (choice reaction time condition). Following unilateral striatal dopamine depletion, produced by intracerebral infusion of 6-hydroxydopamine, there was not only a marked spatial response bias towards the side of the dopamine depletion but also an abolition of the delay-dependent speeding of reaction time that reflects motor readiness, on the side contralateral to the lesion. Nevertheless, the rats continued to show a benefit in performance of the simple reaction time condition compared with the choice reaction time condition, indicating that they were able to use advance information to select and prepare responses. The results are discussed in the context of differential deficits shown by patients with Parkinson's disease in simple versus choice reaction time performance, and of the functions of parallel corticostriatal loops subserving the normal control of action.