title: Effect of nicotine on cognitive disturbance in animals with acetylcholine deficient brain.
abstract: The effect of nicotine on learning disturbance was tested in rats fed with a choline-deficient diet (Ch free) or in senescence-accelerated mice (SAM). Concentration of acetylcholine in the brain was significantly lower in rats fed with Ch free and SAM. Passive avoidance learning shows that rats fed with Ch free and SAM showed significantly impaired learning, compared to controls. Nicotine (0.04 mg/kg) administered intraperitonealy significantly improved learning in animals with learning disturbances, as well as in controls. Vitamin B12 facilitated acetylcholine synthesis or release in the brain and improved the cognitive disturbance. We therefore suggest that acetylcholine contributes to learning and that nicotine may improve learning in an acetylcholine deprived rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meguro
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sekizawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimizu
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D051379:Mice; D009538:Nicotine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D009538:Nicotine; D000109:Acetylcholine