Spatial cognition has long been subject to intensive study of researchers as a model of higher cognitive functions in humans. Animal navigation to directly imperceptible goals is believed to require creating internal representations of environments, which are sometimes called “cognitive maps”. Recently, a novel, spatial cognition task named active allothetic place avoidance (AAPA) was introduced, which requires allothetic mapping and cognitive coordination.

We studied effect of several receptor ligands on the efficiency of performance in the AAPA. D1-like receptor antagonist SCH23390, D2-like antagonist sulpiride, muscarinic antagonist scopolamine, and NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 was injected 20 min prior to testing in the AAPA. All substances disrupted AAPA learning, in some cases, drug-induced hyper- or hypolocomotion contributed to the behavioral impairment. For future exploitation of the AAPA in testing cognitive abilities of animals, it is necessary to develop a control avoidance conditions similarly to cued vs. visible platforms versions of the Morris water maze. This condition would allow to dissociate cognitive disruption from the sensorimotor and motivational impairments.