Effects of the selective metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist, L-CCG-I, on acquisition of a Morris task by rats.
L-Glutamate, a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, plays an important role in a variety of neuronal events associated with learning and memory, neuronal plasticity, neurotoxicity, and neurodegeneration. We assessed the effects of L-CCG-I ((2S,3S,4S)-alpha-(carboxycyclopropyl)glycine), a conformationally restricted glutamate analogue, in a standard Morris water escape task with young adult rats. L-CCG-I is considered to be a selective agonist of the metabotropic glutamate receptor. Vehicle, 5, 50, or 500 nmol L-CCG-I was injected intra-cerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) into the right lateral ventricle 30 min before the start of each of five daily acquisition sessions. The data indicate that L-CCG-I had a centrally mediated mode of action; rats treated with 500 nmol L-CCG-I were clearly impaired in acquiring the standard Morris water escape task. The no-effect dose was 5 nmol.
Van der Staay
F J
FJ
Institute for Neurobiology, Troponwerke GmbH & Co. KG, Cologne, Germany.
Antonicek
H
H
Helpap
B
B
Freund
W D
WD
D000600:Amino Acids, Dicarboxylic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / Q000819:agonists*; D013550:Swimming
D000600:Amino Acids, Dicarboxylic; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate; C035261:(alpha-carboxycyclopropyl)glycine