title: Nicotine improves cognitive disturbance in rodents fed with a choline-deficient diet.
abstract: The effect of nicotine on learning disturbances was tested in rats. Rats were fed either a choline-enriched or a choline-deficient diet. Concentration of acetylcholine in the whole brain was significantly lower in rats fed with choline-deficient diet than rats fed with choline-enriched diet. Passive avoidance learning shows that rats on a choline-deficient diet showed significantly impaired learning compared to rats on a choline-enriched diet. Nicotine (0.04 mg/kg) administered intraperitoneally significantly potentiated learning in rats on a choline-deficient diet, as well as in rats on a choline-enriched diet. We, therefore, suggest that nicotine may potentiate learning in an acetylcholine-deprived brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yanai
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meguro
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sekizawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikarashi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takishima
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002794:Choline / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D002796:Choline Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D009538:Nicotine; D002794:Choline; D000109:Acetylcholine