title: Serotonergic mechanisms involved in the attentional and vigilance task performance of rats and the palliative action of aniracetam.
abstract: Central serotonergic systems play an important role in regulating mood/emotion, cognition, sleep and wakefulness, appetite and locomotion and body temperature via multiple receptor subtypes. Among them, 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A/2C receptors have opposite effects with respect to certain functions. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT), a selective 5-HT1A receptor agonist, and 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI), a selective 5-HT2A/2C receptor agonist, on the performance of middle-aged rats in a two-lever choice reaction task that assessed attention and vigilance functions. We also examined the effects of aniracetam, a cognition enhancer, and its major metabolites on the induced performance impairments. 8-OH-DPAT (0.3 mg/kg s.c.) reduced response speed and choice accuracy and increased response omission with a reduction of task-associated motor activity without inducing motor inability or motivational changes. These findings indicate a specific disturbance of attentional and vigilance processes. DOI caused similar impairments at the highest dose tested (3 mg/kg s.c.); at a lower dose (1 mg/kg s.c.), however, it selectively attenuated the response speed, suggesting a selective attention deficit. (-)-Alprenolol, a non-selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist, and ritanserin, a preferential 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, blocked the 8-OH-DPAT- and DOI-induced performance impairments respectively. Aniracetam ameliorated all the performance deficits, and the metabolites N-anisoyl-GABA and 2-pyrrolidinone partially mimicked the aniracetam effect in the 8-OHDPAT-induced attentional and vigilance impairments. Nefiracetam, another cognition enhancer, improved only the 8-OH-DPAT-induced impairments. Each compound tested alone had no effect on task performance. These results indicate that both serotonergic regulations, possibly via presynaptic 5-HT1A receptors and more likely via postsynaptic 5-HT2A receptors, lead similarly to attention deficits.
authors.affiliation: CNS Supporting Laboratory, Nippon Roche Research Centre, Kajiwara, Kamakura, Japan. kazuo.nakamura@roche.com
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurasawa
mesh_terms: D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000662:Amphetamines / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010166:Palliative Care; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D011760:Pyrrolidinones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D044263:Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT1; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000662:Amphetamines; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D011760:Pyrrolidinones; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D044263:Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT1; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; C058876:nefiracetam; C036466:aniracetam; D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin; C015952:4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenylisopropylamine