{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.037142857142857144, 'fraction_numerical': 0.012142857142857143, 'mean_word_length': 6.040201005025126, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
The Effects of Positive Allosteric Modulation of the α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor in the Five‐Choice Serial Reaction Time Task (5‐CSRTT)

Human clinical studies suggest that using nicotine improves attention. Targeting the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) may provide a substantial improvement in cognitive function without side‐effects associated with global activation of other nicotinic receptor subtypes by nicotine. In the present studies, we examine the effect of modulation of the α7 nAChR on Five‐Choice Serial Reaction Time Task (5‐CSRTT) in Sprague‐Dawley rats. The α7 nAChR positive allosteric modulator (PAM), compound 6 (N‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐α‐[[(chlorophenyl)amino]methylene]‐3‐methyl‐5‐isoxazoleacet‐amide) was tested in the 5‐CSRTT. Compound 6, administered chronically at 0.3 and 1 mg/kg intraperitoneally, significantly increased the rate of acquisition and decreased omissions consistent with improvement in attention. In addition, our data shows that there is a trend for this acquisition effect to be reversed by the nonselective nAChR antagonist mecamylamine. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that activation of α7 nAChRs will enhance cognitive function. This effect on attention also suggests that the α7 nAChRs PAMs may have therapeutic value in the treatment of attention deficit disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).