title: Effects of alpha-adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists on histamine-induced impairment of memory retention of passive avoidance learning in rats.
abstract: The effect of alpha-adrenoceptor agents on the impairment induced by histamine was measured for memory retention of passive avoidance learning in rats. Post-training intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection was carried out in all the experiments. Histamine (5, 10 and 20 microg/rat) reduced, while a histamine H(1) receptor antagonist, chlorpheniramine (0.1, 1 and 10 microg/rat), increased memory retention. The histamine H(2) receptor antagonist, ranitidine (0.1, 1, 10 and 20 microg/rat), did not elicit any response in this respect. Different doses of chlorpheniramine but not ranitidine reversed the histamine-induced impairment of memory. Clonidine and prazosin decreased, but yohimbine and phenylephrine increased, memory retention. Yohimbine decreased the inhibitory response to histamine. Phenylephrine, clonidine and prazosin did not alter the histamine effect. It is concluded that a histamine-induced impairment of memory retention through histamine H(1) receptors and an alpha(2)-adrenoceptor mechanism may be involved in the histamine response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, PO Box 13145-784, Tehran, Iran. zarinmr@ams.ac.ir
authors.forename: Mohammad-Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Zarrindast
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.forename: Shahrbanoo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oryan
authors.forename: Kazem
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Parivar
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haeri-Rohani
mesh_terms: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006632:Histamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; D006632:Histamine