Models & Assays
Selective Attention (Visual Search Task)
To examine this cognitive domain, Transpharmation uses a variable-object discrimination paradigm that reveals deficits related to both aging and difficulty. Impairment of selective attention occurs early in pathological aging and is impaired in various neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. In this task, a dog is trained to respond to one object of two. Once learned, increasing the number of distracters (incorrect objects) impairs performance and increases response latency. This is augmented with aging, which may reflect impaired inhibitory control and processing speed, respectively, and by increasing task difficulty. This test has been effective in identifying therapeutics that enhance metabolic and mitochondrial function.