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MSH/ACTH 4-10 Influences Behavioral and Physiological Measures of Attention¹

CURT A. SANDMAN^*, JACK GEORGE^*,**, THOMAS R. McCANNE, J. DENNIS NOLAN^*, JAQUES KASWAN^* and ABBA J. KASTINJ

^* Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio
^** Department of Medicine, The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio
Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois
Illinois, Endocrinology Section, Veterans Administration Hospital and Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine New Orleans, Louisiana

Eleven healthy male volunteers were infused with MSH/ACTH 4–10 and a control solution in a completely crossed and balanced procedure. Perception, attention and memory were tested as were heart rate and cephalic pulse amplitude in response to changes in the environment. Treatment of subjects with MSH/ACTH 4–10 raised their perceptual threshold for detection of simple stimuli and facilitated perceptual integration of patterned information. Administration of the heptapeptide improved the subjects' ability to discriminate tests of relevant from irrelevant information and augmented the heart–rate deceleratory response during presentation of novel stimuli. It was speculated that MSH/ACTH 4–10 has a predominant influence on attentional processes and that it may be uniquely coded for attentional/perceptual functioning.

Partially supported by Organon, Oss, The Netherlands.

¹ Address correspondence to: Curt A. Sandman, Department of Psychology, 1945 N. High St., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210.

Received September 30, 1976.