title: Age-related decrease of the NMDA receptor-mediated noradrenaline release in rat hippocampus and partial restoration by D-cycloserine.
abstract: The release of [3H]noradrenaline ([3H]NA) evoked by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) from superfused rat hippocampus synaptosomes was monitored during aging. The maximal effects of NMDA decreased with age from 50% (1.5 months) to 10% enhancement (24 months). Quisqualic acid (100 microM) also enhanced [3H]NA release. Its effect decreased with age with a pattern partly different from that of NMDA. Glycine (1 microM) potentiated the [3H]NA releasing effect of 100 microM NMDA. Unexpectedly, the potentiation which amounted to 50% at 1.5 months, reached almost 200% and 300% in the 18- and 24-month-old rats, respectively, thus compensating in part for the age-related loss of the NMDA-induced effect. Concentration-response relationships for glycine at 3 vs. 24 months suggest that the glycine receptor is superresponsive in the aged brain. This may be due to more efficient glycine removal or/and to impaired release since uptake of the amino acid was increased by 350% in 24- vs. 3-month-old rats, while the K(+)-evoked tritium release from synaptosomes prelabeled with [3H]glycine was decreased. D-Cycloserine, although about 10 times less potent than glycine, strongly enhanced the NMDA-evoked [3H]NA release and may prove useful in cognitive deficits associated with aging and dementia.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Farmacologia e Farmacognosia, Università degli Studi di Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pittaluga
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fedele
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Risiglione
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raiteri
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D003523:Cycloserine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005998:Glycine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D003523:Cycloserine; D005998:Glycine; D009638:Norepinephrine