Basal forebrain carbachol injection reduces cortical acetylcholine turnover and disrupts memory.
Injection of the cholinergic agonist carbachol into the region of cholinergic cell bodies in the basal forebrain decreases the turnover rate of acetylcholine in the cortex of the rat, as measured by a mass fragmentographic technique. Moreover, this treatment has been found to increase the number of working memory errors committed as measured in the 8-arm radial maze. These results suggest an inhibitory cholinergic mechanism on the cell bodies of basal forebrain neurons which may be important in memory and the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Robinson
S E
SE
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298-0613.
Hambrecht
K L
KL
Lyeth
B G
BG
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D002217:Carbachol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000502:physiology; D007839:Functional Laterality; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D008872:Microwaves; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values
D002217:Carbachol; D002794:Choline; D000109:Acetylcholine