Dopamine (DA) D1 receptor compounds were examined in monkeys for effects on the working memory functions of the prefrontal cortex and on the fine motor abilities of the primary motor cortex. The D1 antagonist, SCH23390, the partial D1 agonist, SKF38393, and the full D1 agonist, dihydrexidine, were characterized in young control monkeys, and in aged monkeys with naturally occurring catecholamine depletion. In addition, SKF38393 was tested in young monkeys experimentally depleted of catecholamines with chronic reserpine treatment. Injections of SCH23390 significantly impaired the memory performance of young control monkeys, but did not impair aged monkeys with presumed catecholamine depletion. Conversely, the partial agonist, SKF38393, improved the depleted monkeys (aged or reserpine-treated) but did not improve young control animals. The full agonist, dihydrexidine, did improve memory performance in young control monkeys as well as in a subset of aged monkeys. Consistent with D1 receptor mechanisms, agonist-induced improvements were blocked by SCH23390. Drug effects on memory performance occurred independently of effects on fine motor performance. These results underscore the importance of DA D1 mechanisms in cognitive function, and provide functional evidence of DA system degeneration in aged monkeys. Finally, high doses of D1 agonists impaired memory performance in aged monkeys, suggesting that excessive D1 stimulation may be deleterious to cognitive function.
Controlled doping for adjustable material polarity and charge carrier concentration is the basis of semiconductor materials and devices, and it is much more difficult to achieve in ionic semiconductors (e.g., ZnO and GaN) than in covalent semiconductors (e.g., Si and Ge), due to the high intrinsic defect density in ionic semiconductors. The organic-inorganic perovskite material, which is frenetically being researched for applications in solar cells and beyond, is also an ionic semiconductor. Here we present the Ag-incorporated organic-inorganic perovskite films and planar heterojunction solar cells. Partial substitution of Pb by Ag leads to improved film morphology, crystallinity, and carrier dynamics as well as shifted Fermi level and reduced electron concentration. Consequently, in planar heterojunction photovoltaic devices with inverted stacking structure, Ag incorporation results in an enhancement of the power conversion efficiency from 16.0% to 18.4% in MAPbI based devices and from 11.2% to 15.4% in MAPbICl based devices. Our work implies that Ag incorporation is a feasible route to adjust carrier concentrations in solution-processed perovskite materials in spite of the high concentration of intrinsic defects.
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