title: Effects of intrastriatal injections of platelet-activating factor and the PAF antagonist BN 52021 on memory.
abstract: The present experiments examined the effects of posttraining intra-dorsal striatal (i.e., caudate-putamen) injections of the phospholipid methylcarbamyl platelet-activating factor (mc-PAF) and the platelet-activating factor (PAF) antagonist BN 52021 on memory using a striatal-dependent cued water maze task. Male Long-Evans rats received an eight-trial training session in which a visibly cued escape platform was located in a different quadrant of the maze on each trial, followed by an intrastriatal injection of mc-PAF (0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 micrograms/0.5 microliter), BN 52021 (0.25, 0.5, or 1.0 microgram/0.5 microliter), or vehicle (DMSO; 0.5 microliter). On a retention test 24 h later, the escape latencies of rats given mc-PAF (1.0, 2.0 micrograms) wee significantly lower than those of vehicle-injected controls, indicating a memory enhancing effect of mc-PAF. The retention test escape latencies of rats given BN 52021 (0.5, 1.0 microgram) were significantly higher than those of vehicle-injected controls, indicating a memory impairing effect of BN 52021. Injections of mc-PAF or BN 52021 did not affect retention when administered 2-h posttraining, indicating a time-dependent effect of the drugs on memory storage. The findings indicate a role for endogenous PAF function in striatal-dependent memory processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, Louisiana 70148, USA. mgpps@uno.edu
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Packard
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Teather
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Bazan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects*; D004224:Diterpenes; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D046934:Ginkgolides; D007278:Injections, Spinal; D007783:Lactones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D010972:Platelet Activating Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D004224:Diterpenes; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D046934:Ginkgolides; D007783:Lactones; D010972:Platelet Activating Factor; C045856:ginkgolide B