Effect of acetyl-L-carnitine on conditioned reflex learning rate and retention in laboratory animals.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of acetyl-L-carnitine on learning and/or memory processes in laboratory animals. In the water maze test, acetyl-L-carnitine, given intraperitoneally at doses ranging from 0.3 to 100 mg/kg, improved performances in both mice and rats. In the latter the drug also proved active when administered orally in the 3-100 mg/kg dosage range. In the pole climbing test in the rat, acetyl-L-carnitine at doses ranging from 0.03 to 10 mg/kg i.p. increased the conditioned reflex learning rate. In the passive avoidance test in the rat, significant increases in retention were observed after treatment with acetyl-L-carnitine at doses ranging from 1 to 30 mg/kg i.p. In the passive avoidance plus electroconvulsive shock test in the mouse, acetyl-L-carnitine antagonized amnesia at doses ranging from 0.1 to 3 mg/kg i.p.
D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D002331:Carnitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects; D004597:Electroshock; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects
D000108:Acetylcarnitine; D002331:Carnitine