title: Memory facilitation by methylene blue: dose-dependent effect on behavior and brain oxygen consumption.
abstract: Methylene blue administered post-training improves memory retention in avoidance and appetitive tasks, and restores spatial memory impaired by an inhibitor of cytochrome oxidase. Methylene blue may improve memory retention by increasing brain oxygen utilization. We investigated which doses improve memory without nonspecific behavioral effects, and whether methylene blue enhances brain oxygen consumption. Different doses were evaluated 24 h after administration in wheel running, feeding, open field habituation and object recognition tests. The 1-10 mg/kg methylene blue-treated rats were not different from saline-treated rats in locomotion or feeding behavior. The 50-100 mg/kg doses decreased running wheel behavior. The 4 mg/kg dose improved behavioral habituation and object memory recognition. Dose-dependent effects of methylene blue on brain oxygen consumption revealed that low concentrations increased brain oxygen consumption in vitro and 24 h after in vivo administration. Therefore, methylene blue doses that increase brain oxygen consumption also facilitate memory retention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, TX 78712, USA.
authors.forename: Penny D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Riha
authors.forename: Aleksandra K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Bruchey
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Echevarria
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Lima
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D008751:Methylene Blue / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D008751:Methylene Blue