Repeated injections of piracetam improve spatial learning and increase the stimulation of inositol phospholipid hydrolysis by excitatory amino acids in aged rats.
Repeated injections of piracetam (400 mg/kg, i.p. once a day for 15 days) to 16-month old rats led to an improved performance on an 8-arm radial maze, used as a test for spatial learning. This effect was accompanied by a greater ability of excitatory amino acids (ibotenate and glutamate) to stimulate [3H]inositol-monophosphate formation in hippocampal slices incubated in the presence of 10 mM Li+. Repeated administration of piracetam did not induce changes in excitatory amino acid-stimulated polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis in hippocampal slices prepared from 2-month old animals.
Institute of Pharmacology, University of Catania, School of Medicine, Italy.
P L
PL
Canonico
E
E
Aronica
G
G
Aleppo
G
G
Casabona
A
A
Copani
A
A
Favit
F
F
Nicoletti
U
U
Scapagnini
D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005971:Glutamates / Q000502:physiology*; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007295:Inositol Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009949:Orientation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols / Q000378:metabolism*; D010889:Piracetam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D005971:Glutamates; D007295:Inositol Phosphates; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D018698:Glutamic Acid; C047872:inositol 2-monophosphate; D010889:Piracetam