Behavioural and biochemical effects of acute central metabolic inhibition: effects of acetyl-l-carnitine.
In the present study we evaluated a new method to assess the behavioural and biochemical effects of a brief period of acute hypoxia in the brain. In this method, cyanide is injected into the lateral ventricles. Spatial navigation performance in a Morris task was found to be impaired 1 and 5 min after an i.c.v. injection of 5.0 micrograms cyanide but not after 2.5 micrograms cyanide. Increased rate of phosphatidic acid formation, reflecting increased phospholipase C activity, were observed after injection of 5.0 micrograms cyanide, indicating that energy-dependent phosphoinositide metabolism was affected. Chronic treatment with acetyl-l-carnitine attenuated the cyanide-induced behavioural deficit, but had no effect on energy-dependent phosphoinositide metabolism. The results suggest that, in this model, acetyl-l-carnitine may act via free fatty acid metabolism, by increasing the reservoir of activated acyl groups which are involved in the reacylation of membrane phospholipids.
Blokland
A
A
Department of Neuropsychology and Psychobiology, University of Limburg, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Bothmer
J
J
Honig
W
W
Jolles
J
J
D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D003486:Cyanides / Q000494:pharmacology; D004075:Diglycerides / Q000378:metabolism; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013347:Subcellular Fractions
D003486:Cyanides; D004075:Diglycerides; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols; D000108:Acetylcarnitine