title: Chronic nimodipine and acute metrifonate treatment decreases age-related cortical high voltage spindles in rats.
abstract: We studied the effect of nimodipine (1000 ppm mixed in food), an L-type calcium-channel antagonist, administered for 4 months, on the cortical EEG activity in young and aged rats. Nimodipine treatment decreased cortical high voltage spindles (HVSs) in aged rats, but did not prevent the diminution of spontaneous locomotor activity. The threshold dose of metrifonate, a cholinesterase inhibitor, for suppression of HVSs was lower in nimodipine compared to placebo treated aged rats (30 mg/kg versus 60 mg/kg; p.o.). In young rats, nimodipine did not decrease HVSs, protect from scopolamine (0.1 or 0.8 mg/kg, i.p.) induced EEG slowing or augment the effect of metrifonate to suppress slow waves induced by scopolamine. The present results suggest that a chronic nimodipine treatment modulates thalamocortical arousal and thereby adds to the therapeutic effects of metrifonate to restore normal cortical electrical arousal in aged rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Neurology, University of Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Riekkinen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jäkälä
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koivisto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Björklund
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009553:Nimodipine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014236:Trichlorfon / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D009553:Nimodipine; D014236:Trichlorfon