Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Neurotransmitter Interactions and Cognitive Function pp 91–102Cite as

The Role of the Noradrenergic System in Higher Cerebral Functions: Experimental Studies about the Effects of Noradrenergic Modulation on Electrophysiology and Behavior

  • Chapter

Abstract

The ascending systems (cholinergic, noradrenergic, dopaminergic, serotonergic, and histaminergic) have been proposed to regulate the function of information networks in the forebrain (Mesulam, 1990). The degeneration of these systems may lead to cognitive dysfunctions related to aging and to a greater extent in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (Reinikainen et al., 1990). Most of clinical drug trials of Alzheimer’s disease have based on a “cholinergic hypothesis of geriatric memory dysfunction.” Because of the limited therapeutic impact of this strategy (Kumar and Calache, 1991), other alternative treatment approaches are needed for the symptomatic treatment of patients with AD.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Buzsáki G (1989): Two-stage model of memory trace formation: A role for “noisy” brain states. Neuroscience 31:551–570

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buzsáki G, Kennedy B, Solt VB, Ziegler M (1991): Noradrenergic control of thalamic oscillation: The role of α2 receptors. Eur J Neurosci 3:222–229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carli M, Robbins TW, Evenden JL, Everitt BJ (1983) Effects of lesions to ascending noradrenergic neurones on performance of a 5-choice serial reaction task in rats; implications for theories of dorsal noradrenergic bundle function based on selective attention and arousal. Behav Brain Res 9:361–380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heal DJ, Marsden CA (Eds) (1990): The Pharmacology of Noradrenaline in the Central Nervous System, Oxford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones BE, Cuello A (1989): Afferents to the basal forebrain cholinergic cell area from pontomesencephalic-catecholamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine-neurons. Neuroscience 31:37–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jäkälä P, Sirviö J, Riekkinen P Jr, Haapalinna A, Riekkinen P (1992a): The effects of atipamezole, an α2-adrenoceptor antagonist, on the performance of rats in a 5-choice serial reaction time task. Pharmacol Biochem Behav, in press

    Google Scholar 

  • Jäkälä P, Viitamaa T, Sirviö J, Riekkinen P Jr, Salonen J, Haapalinna A, Virtanen R, Riekkinen P (1992b): Continuous α2-adrenoceptor blockade by atipamezole decreases neocortical high voltage spindle activity in rats. Eur J Pharmacol, revised

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar V, Calache M (1991): Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease with cholinergic drugs. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol 29:23–37

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald E, Scheinin H, Scheinin M (1988): Behavioural and neurochemical effects of medetomidine, a novel veterinary sedative. Eur J Pharmacol 158:119–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCormick DA (1989): Cholinergic and noradrenergic modulation of thalamocortical processing. Trends Neurosci 12:215–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGaugh JL, Introini-Collinson IB, Nagahara AH, Cahill L (1990): Involvement of the amygdaloid complex in neuromodulatory influences on memory storage. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 14:425–431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mesulam MM (1990): Large-scale neurocognitive networks and distributed processing for attention, language, and memory. Ann Neurol 28:597–613

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reinikainen KJ, Soininen HS, Riekkinen PJ (1990): Neurotransmitter changes in Alzheimer’s disease: Implications to diagnostics and therapy. J Neurosci Res 27:576–586

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen P, Buzsáki G, Riekkinen P Jr, Soininen H, Partanen J (1991): The cholinergic system and EEG slow waves. EEG Clin Neurophysiol 78:89–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen P Jr., Sirviö J, Jäkälä P, Lammintausta R, Riekkinen P (1990a): Effect of alpha2 antagonists and an agonist on EEG slowing induced by scopolamine and lesion of the nucleus basalis. Neuropharmacology 29:993–999

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen P Jr., Sirviö J, Jäkälä P, Lammintausta R, Riekkinen P (1990b): Interaction between the alpha2-noradrenergic and muscarinic systems in the regulation of neocortical high voltage spindles. Brain Res Bull 25:147–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen P Jr, Sirviö J, Valjakka A, Pitkänen A, Partanen J, Riekkinen P (1990c): The effects of concurrent manipulations of cholinergic and noradrenergic systems on neocortical EEG and spatial learning. Behav Neural Biol 54:204–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen P Jr, Sirviö J, Riekkinen P (1990d) Similar memory impairment found in medial septal-vertical diagonal band of Broca and nucleus basalis lesioned rats: Are memory defects induced by nucleus basalis lesions related to the degree of non-specific subcortical cell loss? Behav Brain Res 37:81–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen P Jr, Riekkinen M, Jäkälä P, Sirviö J, Lammintausta R, Riekkinen P (1991a): Combination of atipamezole and tetrahydroaminoacridine/pilocarpine treatment suppresses high voltage spindle activity in aged rats. Brain Res Bull 27:237–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen P Jr, Sirviö J, Valjakka A, Riekkinen M, Lammintausta R, Riekkinen P (1991b): Effects of atipamezole and tetrahydroaminoacridine on nucleus basalis lesion-induced EEG changes. Brain Res Bull 27:231–235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen P Jr., Sirviö J, Jäkälä P, Riekkinen M, Lammintausta R, Riekkinen P (1991c): Effects of alpha2-drugs and pilocarpine on the high-voltage spindle activity of young and aged control and DSP4-lesioned rats. Physiol Behav 50:955–959

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen P Jr., Riekkinen M, Valjakka A, Riekkinen P, Sirviö J (1992a): DSP-4, a noradrenergic neurotoxin, produce more severe biochemical and functional deficits in aged than young rats. Brain Res 570:293–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen P Jr., Sirviö J, Riekkinen M, Lammintausta R, Riekkinen P (1992b): Atipamezole, an alpha-2 antagonist, stabilizes age-related high voltage spindles and passive avoidance defects. Pharmacol Biochem Behav, 41:611–614

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riekkinen P Jr., Riekkinen M, Sirviö J, Riekkinen P (1992c): Neurophysiological consequences of combined cholinergic and noradrenergic lesions. Exp Neurol, 116:64–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Savola J-M, Virtanen R (1991): Central α2-adrenoceptors are highly stereoselective for dexmedetomidine, the dextro enantiomer of medetomidine. Eur J Pharmacol 195:193–199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheinin H, MacDonald E, Scheinin M (1988): Behavioural and neurochemical effects of atipamezole a novel α2-adrenoceptor antagonist. Eur J Pharmacol 151:35–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seiden NWR, Cole B, Everitt BJ, Robbins TW (1990a): Damage to coeruleo-cortical noradrenergic projections impairs locally cued, but enhances spatially cued water maze acquisition. Behav Brain Res 39:29–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seiden NWR, Everitt BJ, Jarrard LE, Robbins TW (1990b): Complementary roles for the amygdala and hippocampus in aversive conditioning to explicit and contextual cues. Neuroscience 42:335–350

    Google Scholar 

  • Seiden NWR, Robbins RW, Everitt BJ (1990c): Dorsal noradrenergic bundle lesions impair conditioning to explicit but enhance conditioning to contextual aversive cues: Support for an attentional theory of central noradrenergic functions. J Neurosci 10:531–539

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirviö J, Pitkänen A, Pääkkönen A, Partanen J, Riekkinen PJ (1989): Brain cholinergic enzymes and cortical EEG activity in young and old rats. Comp Biochem Physiol 94C:277–283

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirviö J, Lukkarinen K, Riekkinen P Jr., Koivisto E, Virtanen R, Pennanen A, Valjakka A, Riekkinen PJ (1991a): The effects of atipamezole, an alpha-2 antagonist, on the performance of young and aged rats in the delayed nonmatching to position task. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 39:1015–1019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirviö J, Riekkinen P Jr, Vajanto I, Koivisto E, Riekkinen PJ (1991b): The effects of guanfacine, α-2 agonist, on the performance of young and aged rats in spatial navigation task. Behav Neural Biol 56:101–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirviö J, Riekkinen P Jr, Valjakka A, Jolkkonen J, Riekkinen PJ (1991c): The effects of noradrenergic neurotoxin, DSP-4, on the performance of young and aged rats in spatial navigation task. Brain Res 563:297–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirviö J, Riekkinen P Jr, Ekonsalo T, Lammintausta R, Riekkinen PJ (1992a): The effects of dexmedetomidine, an alpha2 agonist, on learning and memory, assessed using passive avoidance and water maze tasks in rats. Neuropharmacology 31:163–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirviö J, Riekkinen P Jr, Mac Donald E, Airaksinen M, Lammintausta R, Riekkinen PJ (1992b): The effects of alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist, atipamezole, on spatial learning in scopolamine-treated and aged rats. J Neural Transm [P-P Sect] 4:99–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Squire LR, Zola-Morgan S (1991): The medial temporal lobe memory system. Science 253:1380–1386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steriade M, Buzsaki G (1990): Parallel activation of thalamic and cortical neurons by brainstem and basal forebrain cholinergic systems. In: Brain Cholinergic Systems, Steriade M, Biesold D, eds. New York: Oxford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Teyler TJ (1991): Memory: Electrophysiological Analogs. In: Learning and Memory. A Biological View, 2nd ed, Martinez JL Jr, Kesner RP, eds. San Diego: Academic Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Valjakka A, Riekkinen P Jr, Sirviö J, Nieminen S, Airaksinen M, Miettinen R, Riekkinen P (1990a): The effects of dorsal noradrenergic bundle lesions on spatial learning, locomotor activity, and reaction to novelty. Behav Neural Biol 54:323–329

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valjakka A, Sirviö J, Pitkänen A, Riekkinen PJ (1990b): Brain amines and neocortical EEG in young and aged rats. Comp Biochem Physiol 96C:299–304

    Google Scholar 

  • Valjakka A, Koivisto E, Riekkinen P (1991a): Evoked field responses and awake immobility-related non-rhythmical EEG in hippocampus of young and aged rats. Neurosci Res Commun 8:29–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Valjakka A, Lukkarinen K, Koivisto E, Lammintausta R, Airaksinen MM, Riekkinen P (1991b): Evoked field responses, recurrent inhibition, long-term potentiation and immobility-related nonrhythmical EEG in the dentate gyrus of fimbria-fornix-lesioned and control rats. Brain Res Bull 26:525–532

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valjakka A, Lukkarinen K, Koivisto E, Riekkinen P Jr., Miettinen P, Airaksinen MM, Lammintausta R, Riekkinen P (1991c): Modulation of EEG rhythmicity and spike activity in the rat hippocampus by systemically administered tetrahydroaminoacridine, scopolamine and atipamezole. Brain Res Bull 26:739–745

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Virtanen R, Savola J-M, Saano V (1989): Highly selective and specific antagonism of central and peripheral α2-adrenoceptors by atipamezole. Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther 297:190–204

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Paavo J. Riekkinen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jouni Sirvio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Paavo Riekkinen Jr.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Antti Valjakka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Pekka Jakala
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Esa Koivisto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Risto Lammintausta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, 27710, Durham, NC, USA

    Edward D. Levin

  2. Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, 60064, USA

    Michael W. Decker

  3. Laboratory of Chemical Neuroanatomy, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90024-1563, USA

    Larry L. Butcher

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1992 Birkhäuser Boston

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Riekkinen, P.J. et al. (1992). The Role of the Noradrenergic System in Higher Cerebral Functions: Experimental Studies about the Effects of Noradrenergic Modulation on Electrophysiology and Behavior. In: Levin, E.D., Decker, M.W., Butcher, L.L. (eds) Neurotransmitter Interactions and Cognitive Function. Birkhäuser Boston. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9843-5_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9843-5_6

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser Boston

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-9845-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-9843-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation