title: A nitric oxide synthase inhibitor impairs memory storage in mice.
abstract: Posttraining administration of the L-enantiomer of the competitive inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 3-100 mg/kg, ip), impaired 48-h retention of a one-trial step-through inhibitory shock-avoidance task in male Swiss mice. The effects were dose-dependent and were not observed when the D-enantiomer (D-NAME, 3-100 mg/kg, ip) was injected instead of L-NAME. Retention latencies of mice that had not received a footshock during training were not affected by L-NAME. The memory impairment produced by L-NAME was time-dependent, suggesting an action on memory storage. The effects of L-NAME on memory were overcome by the injection of L-(but not D-)arginine (300 mg/kg, ip) along with the inhibitor. Considered together, these findings suggest that the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway may be involved in memory storage of an inhibitory avoidance response in mice.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Neurofarmacologia de Procesos de Memoria, Catedra de Farmacologia, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquimica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junin 9560, Buenos Aires, RA-1113, Argentina.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Baratti
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Kopf
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000187:drug effects*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D001120:Arginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester