Acute and subchronic effects of buspirone on attention and impulsivity in the five-choice serial reaction time task in rats

Serotonin (5-HT)-related drugs are extensively employed in the treatment of mental disorders. However, the roles of the central serotonergic system in impulse control over environmental stimuli remain to be elucidated. The present study demonstrated acute and subchronic effects of a 5-HT1A receptor partial agonist, buspirone, on the performance of rats in response control indexed by the attentional accuracy and impulsive reactivity in the five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT). Acute buspirone (0.5 mg/kg) affected accuracy, whereas subchronic buspirone treatment augmented impulsivity. Moreover, a subchronic buspirone regimen potentiated the acute buspirone-induced reduction in motor impulsivity. Our data suggested that a time-dependent mechanism was involved in the serotonin-associated behavioral control of response accuracy and motoric impulsivity.