Effects of MCI-225 on memory and glucose utilization in basal forebrain-lesioned rats

Cognitive deficit associated with cholinergic and nerve growth factor down-regulation in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in rats

Clinical symptoms in multiple sclerosis include cognitive dysfunction. Difficulties in learning and remembering new information represent the most common cognitive deficit and are associated with a general and progressive brain pathology. Possible pathogenetic mechanisms for neuronal damage such as neuroprotective strategies are under active investigation also in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, the most widely used experimental model for multiple sclerosis. In this paper we demonstrate that a selective deficit in learning and memory performance, as investigated by the Morris water maze test, is a consistent feature in rat encephalomyelitis, which correlates with a decline in choline acetyltransferase activity and nerve growth factor mRNA level in cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and basal forebrain. Treatment aimed to restore acetylcholine content through chronic administration of selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (rivastigmine and donepezil) restores cognitive performance, choline acetyltransferase activity, and nerve growth factor mRNA expression.

The anxiolytic-like effect of MCI-225, a selective NA reuptake inhibitor with 5-HT3 receptor antagonism

We have previously reported that MCI-225, a selective noradrenaline (NA) reuptake inhibitor with serotonin (5-HT)3 receptor antagonism, shows antidepressant-like properties in experiments using rodents. In this study, we investigated the effect of MCI-225 in anxiety models in comparison with diazepam, ondansetron, maprotiline, imipramine, and trazodone. In social interaction (SI) test in rats, MCI-225 (10 and 30 mg/kg, p.o.), diazepam (1-10 mg/kg, p.o.), and a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron (1 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly increas

Sustained effect of metrifonate on cerebral glucose metabolism after immunolesion of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in rats

To evaluate the influence of cholinergic projections from the basal forebrain on brain metabolism, we measured the cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMR(glu)) after unilateral lesioning of cholinergic basal forebrain neurons with the immunotoxin 192 IgG-saporin. CMR(glu) was determined in 24 cortical and 13 sub-cortical regions using the [14C]2-deoxy-D-glucose technique of Sokoloff. Average hemispheric CMR(glu) decreased by 7% (P<0.02) and 5% (P<0.05), 7 and 21 days after lesion, respectively. Regional effects were restricted to parietal and retrosplenial cortices, lateral habenula and the basal forebrain. We have previously shown that metrifonate increased CMR(glu) in intact rats. In lesioned rats, metrifonate (80 mg/kg, i. p.) was still active but the metabolic activation was reduced in terms of both the average hemispheric CMR(glu) and the number of regions significantly affected. Although it is reduced, the sustained effect of metrifonate in lesioned rats makes an argument for the use of this compound as treatment of cholinergic deficit in Alzheimer's disease.