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Chronic treatments with cholinoceptor drugs influence spatial learning in rats

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Abstract

Nicotine, scopolamine, oxotremorine, diisopropyl-fluorophosphate (DFP) and tetrahydroaminoacridine (THA) were administered chronically to different groups of rats in doses reported to alter central muscarinic and/or nicotinic receptro numbers. Beginning 24 h after final drug injection, the groups were compared to a vehicle control group on acquisition of a hidden platform position in the Morris water maze over 20 trials with a 30-min inter-trial interval. Chronic treatment with either nicotine or scopolamine significantly improved the rate of learning, but oxotremorine and DFP retarded learning and THA had no effect on learning. The chronic drug effects on behaviour were consistent with known effects of the injected drugs on muscarinic and nicotinic binding in the forebrain and on the sensitivity of frontal cortex neurones to iontophoretically applied cholinoceptor agonists. However, alternative explanations for the observed changes cannot be ruled out, since the drugs used are known to have a wide range of effects on other neurotransmitters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF, London, UK

    F. A. Abdulla & J. D. Sinden

  2. Department of Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF, London, UK

    M. -R. Calaminici & J. D. Stephenson

Authors
  1. F. A. Abdulla
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  2. M. -R. Calaminici
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  3. J. D. Stephenson
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  4. J. D. Sinden
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Abdulla, F.A., Calaminici, M.R., Stephenson, J.D. et al. Chronic treatments with cholinoceptor drugs influence spatial learning in rats. Psychopharmacology 111, 508–511 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02253544

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02253544

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