Subchronic MK-801 treatment to juvenile rats attenuates environmental effects on adult spatial learning.
Treatment with the non-competitive NMDA receptor blocker MK-801 (0.16 mg/kg), given to juvenile rats before and after the exposure to an enriched environment on alternate days for 4 weeks, attenuated the improvements in spatial learning and open field adaptation which resulted from such environmental stimulation. Drug treatment affected the consolidation of experiences as an injection given after exposure to the enriched environment was needed to demonstrate this effect. In addition, MK-801 administration diminished the adverse effect of stimulus deprivation-the slow learning rate normally seen in rats housed in impoverished environment. Radioligand binding studies showed that drug treatment decreased [3H]MK-801 binding sites in cortex. The learning, activity and receptor binding effects were measured 4 months from cessation of the drug treatment and environmental manipulation. The results support the role of NMDA receptors in mediating cognitive changes associated with environmental stimulation.
Liljequist
R
R
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Karonlinska Institute, Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.
Henriksson
B G
BG
Latif
N
N
Pham
T
T
Winblad
B
B
Mohammed
A H
AH
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004777:Environment; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000187:drug effects; D013028:Space Perception / Q000187:drug effects*; D013570:Synaptic Membranes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate