Transplantation of embryonic ventral forebrain grafts to the neocortex of rats with bilateral lesions of nucleus basalis magnocellularis ameliorates a lesion-induced deficit in spatial memory.
Embryonic ventral forebrain grafts containing developing cholinergic cells were transplanted to the neocortex of rats with bilateral quisqualic acid lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis. A lesion-induced deficit on performance of a spatial alternation test of memory was reduced by such transplants. When the same animals were treated with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine (0.05 mg/kg), however, performance on the behavioral task was not further promoted, and therefore, under these conditions, the cholinergic cortical transplants appear not to be subject to modulation by anticholinesterase drugs.
Welner
S A
SA
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, U.K.
Dunnett
S B
SB
Salamone
J D
JD
MacLean
B
B
Iversen
S D
SD
D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation*; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000637:transplantation*; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010069:Oxadiazoles; D010830:Physostigmine / Q000494:pharmacology; D016318:Quisqualic Acid; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
D010069:Oxadiazoles; D016318:Quisqualic Acid; D010830:Physostigmine; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase