Leupeptin, a thiol proteinase inhibitor, causes a selective impairment of spatial maze performance in rats.
The effects of chronic intraventricular infusion of leupeptin, a potent inhibitor of thiol proteinases, were tested on ingestive behaviors, escape and avoidance conditioning, and spatial memory in rats. The drug did not detectably influence feeding, drinking, body temperature, or the latency to escape from a mild footshock or inhibitory avoidance behavior. However, rats treated with leupeptin made numerous errors ( reentries ) in an eight-arm spatial maze. These results are interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that calcium-activated thiol proteinases are involved in the formation of certain types of memory.
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007976:Leupeptins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009949:Orientation / Q000187:drug effects*; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013028:Space Perception / Q000187:drug effects*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects
D007976:Leupeptins; D009842:Oligopeptides; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; C032854:leupeptin