Source Paper
Activation of Glutamatergic Neurotransmission by Ketamine: A Novel Step in the Pathway from NMDA Receptor Blockade to Dopaminergic and Cognitive Disruptions Associated with the Prefrontal Cortex
Bita Moghaddam, Barbara Adams, Anita Verma, Darron Daly
Journal of Neuroscience • 1997
Spatial Delayed Alternation Task
Objective: Assess impairment of cognitive function in rodents following ketamine treatment using a prefrontal cortex-sensitive spatial delayed alternation task
This is a Spatial Delayed Alternation Task protocol using rat as the model organism. The procedure involves 4 procedural steps, 2 equipment items, 3 materials. Extracted from a 1997 paper published in Journal of Neuroscience.
Model and subjects
rat
Study window
Estimated timing pending
Core workflow
Dose-response study with microdialysis • Measure dopamine release • Test CNQX blockade of dopamine release
Primary readouts
- Glutamate outflow in prefrontal cortex
- Dopamine release in prefrontal cortex
- Performance on spatial delayed alternation task
- Blockade of dopamine release by CNQX
Key equipment and reagents
Use this page as an execution guide, then fall back to the source paper whenever you need exact exclusions, dosing details, or assay-specific caveats.
Confirm first
- Verify the animal model, intervention setup, and collection timepoints against the source paper.
- Check that every direct vendor link matches the exact specification your lab plans to run.
Use the page like this
- Work through the protocol steps in order and use the inline vendor chips only when you need to source or verify an item.
- Jump to Experimental Context for readouts, data shape, and analysis flow before planning downstream analysis.
Protocol Steps
Start here. The step list is optimized for running the experiment, with direct vendor links available inline when you need to source a cited item.
Dose-response study with microdialysis
Conduct microdialysis in conscious rats to measure glutamate outflow in the prefrontal cortex following ketamine administration
Note: Multiple doses tested: 10, 20, 30, 50, and 200 mg/kg
View evidence from paper
“A thorough dose-response study using microdialysis in conscious rats indicated that low doses of ketamine (10, 20, and 30 mg/kg) increase glutamate outflow in the PFC”
Measure dopamine release
Measure dopamine release in the prefrontal cortex following ketamine administration at 30 mg/kg dose
Note: 30 mg/kg dose selected based on glutamate findings
View evidence from paper
“Ketamine, at 30 mg/kg, also increased the release of dopamine in the PFC”
Test CNQX blockade of dopamine release
Apply CNQX (AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist) intra-PFC to determine if it blocks ketamine-induced dopamine release
Note: Intra-PFC application of antagonist
View evidence from paper
“This increase was blocked by intra-PFC application of the AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist, 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione CNQX”
Spatial delayed alternation task with LY293558 pretreatment
Administer LY293558 systemically as pretreatment prior to ketamine administration, then assess performance on spatial delayed alternation task
Note: Systemic pretreatment with AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist
View evidence from paper
“ketamine-induced activation of dopamine release and impairment of spatial delayed alternation in the rodent, a PFC-sensitive cognitive task, was ameliorated by systemic pretreatment with AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist LY293558”