title: Long-term facilitation of social recognition in rats by vasopressin related peptides: a structure-activity study.
abstract: The effect of several vasopressin-related peptides was investigated in the social recognition paradigm, that consists of two successive encounters of a resident and a juvenile rat. The decrease of social investigation time of the resident rat during the second encounter served as a measure for social recognition. Single administration (3.0 micrograms, s.c.) of the vasopressin (AVP)-related peptides AVP-(1-8), AVP-(1-7) or AVP-(1-6), injected just after the first encounter, resulted in social recognition after 24 hours. Such an effect was not observed after placebo treatment or an injection with AVP-(1-5), [pGlu4, Cyt6]AVP-(4-8), [pGlu4, Cyt6]-AVP-(4-9), AVP-(7-9) or oxytocin-(1-6)-NH2. The peptide AVP-(1-6) was also active when administered in a dose of 0.3 micrograms in contrast to other peptides. Thus, vasopressin related peptides induce long term facilitation of social recognition and this action resides in the covalent ring structure of vasopressin. This effect resembles the vasopressin-induced facilitation of particular memory processes, as revealed with other behavioral paradigms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Rudolf Magnus Institute, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Popik
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Van Ree
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012919:Social Behavior; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin