ABSTRACT
The predictive coding framework has emerged as an appealing model of mismatch negativity (MMN). It has been repeatedly observed that MMN is reduced in schizophrenia. It is believed that the molecular correlate of this reduction is a NMDA-R hypofunction, a major model of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. We have previously demonstrated that the neuronal index of mismatch is composed of repetition suppression (RS) and prediction error (PE). Therefore, the main goal of this study was to test how the NMDA-R antagonist, MK-801, affects RS and PE in single units along the rat auditory thalamocortical pathway. Results demonstrate enhanced RS at thalamus and PE at cortex. Moreover, results demonstrate that MK-801 alters the dynamics of adaptation along the thalamocortical axis. These single unit data correlate with the recordings of large-scale responses. This study opens new avenue for future research in the development of safe compounds that target similar binding locations to MK-801.
