title: BR-16A protects against ECS-induced anterograde amnesia.
abstract: BR-16A is an herbal (non allopathic) medication used in India to enhance cognition. In experiment 1, 28 Wistar rats received either BR-16A (200 mg/kg/day) or vehicle alone for 3 weeks. During the third week, the rats were tested for learning in the Hebb Williams complex maze. BR-16A-treated rats showed significantly better learning than did controls. Experiment 2 was conducted identically except that during the second week all of 32 rats additionally received six once-daily electroconvulsive shocks (ECS). An advantage for learning was again demonstrated for the BR-16A group. It is concluded that BR-16A facilitates learning, and that this effect extends to a protection against ECS-induced anterograde amnesia. Cognitive deficits induced by electroconvulsive therapy are a major disadvantage of the treatment and, to-date, no drug has been found to offer satisfactory protection against such deficits. It is suggested that BR-16A may hold promise in the containment of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)-induced cognitive compromise.
authors: Department of Pharmacology, St. John's Medical College, Bangalore, India.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Joseph
authors: B V
authors: BV
authors: Venkataraman
authors: M A
authors: MA
authors: Rani
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Andrade
mesh_terms: D000647:Amnesia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: C074754:Mentat; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs