S 15535, a benzodioxopiperazine acting as presynaptic agonist and postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptor antagonist, prevents the impairment of spatial learning caused by intrahippocampal scopolamine.
1 The effect of S 15535 (4-benzodioxan-5-yl)1-(indan-2-yl)piperazine), an agonist at presynaptic and antagonist at postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors, on the impairment of spatial learning caused by intrahippocampal scopolamine in a two-platform spatial discrimination task was studied. 2 Scopolamine (4.0 microg microl-1), injected bilaterally into the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus 10 min before each training session, impaired choice accuracy with no effect on choice latency and errors of omission. 3 Administered subcutaneously 30 min before each training session, S 15535 1.0 (but not 0.3) mg kg-1 did not modify choice accuracy but prevented its impairment by intrahippocampal scopolamine. 4 WAY 100635, a 5-HT1A receptor antagonist, injected into the dorsal raphe at 1.0 microg 0.5 microl-1 5 min before scopolamine, had no effect on choice accuracy and latency or errors of omission and did not modify the effect of scopolamine but completely antagonized the effect of S 15535 (1.0 mg kg-1) on scopolamine-induced impairment of choice accuracy. 5 The results confirm a previous report (Carli et al., 1998) that stimulation of presynaptic 5-HT1A receptors in the dorsal raphe counteracts the deficit caused by intrahippocampal scopolamine, probably by facilitating the transfer of facilitatory information from the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampus. 6 Drugs that stimulate action on presynaptic 5-HT1A receptors, such as S 15535 and other partial 5-HT1A receptors agonists, may be useful in the symptomatic treatment of human memory disturbances associated with loss of cholinergic innervation to the hippocampus.
Carli
M
M
Laboratory of Neuropharmacology, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Via Eritrea 62,20157 Milan, Italy.
Balducci
C
C
Millan
M J
MJ
Bonalumi
P
P
Samanin
R
R
D000818:Animals; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D044263:Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT1; D012601:Scopolamine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors
D010879:Piperazines; D011725:Pyridines; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D044263:Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT1; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; C079549:4-(benzodioxan-5-yl)-1-(indan-2-yl)piperazine; C090413:N-(2-(4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl)ethyl)-N-(2-pyridinyl)cyclohexanecarboxamide; D012601:Scopolamine