title: Intracerebroventricular administration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in adult rats affects analgesia and spontaneous behaviour but not memory retention in a Morris Water Maze task.
abstract: The present study tested the effects of in vivo administration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and of its antibody (anti-BDNF) in a Morris Water Maze (MWM) task. Adult male rats were trained for three days in a MWM. At the end of the last training trial, subjects were injected intracerebroventricularly with one of the following: (i) BDNF (24 microg); (ii) anti-BDNF (25 microg); or (iii) vehicle (PBS, injection volume 10 microl). On day 5, subjects were tested for memory retention, pain sensitivity and locomotor behaviour. No differences emerged in the MWM as a function of treatment, even with a reduced number of acquisition trials. Nonetheless, BDNF affected both pain threshold in the hot-plate test, as well as exploratory behaviour in the open field test.
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Pathophysiology Section, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cirulli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alleva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000494:pharmacology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000187:drug effects; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor