Ventral hippocampal alpha7 and alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptor blockade and clozapine effects on memory in female rats.
BACKGROUND
Nicotinic systems in the hippocampus play important roles in memory function. Decreased hippocampal nicotinic receptor concentration is associated with cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease.


METHODS
We modeled in rats the cognitive effects of chronic decrease in hippocampal alpha7 or alpha4beta2 receptors with 4-week continuous bilateral local infusions of the alpha7 nicotinic antagonist methyllycaconitine (MLA) or the alpha4beta2 antagonist dihydro-beta-erythroidine (DHbetaE). The working memory effects of these infusions were assessed by performance on the radial-arm maze. To test the effect of antipsychotic medication, we gave acute injections of clozapine and to determine the impact of nicotine, which is widely used by people with schizophrenia approximately half of the rats received chronic systemic infusions of nicotine.


RESULTS
Chronic ventral hippocampal DHbetaE infusion caused a significant (p < 0.001) working memory impairment. Acute systemic clozapine (2.5 mg/kg) caused a significant (p < 0.005) working memory impairment in rats given control aCSF hippocampal infusions. Clozapine significantly (p < 0.025) attenuated the memory deficit caused by chronic hippocampal DHbetaE infusions. Chronic ventral hippocampal infusions with MLA did not significantly affect the working memory performance in the radial-arm maze, but it did significantly (p < 0.05) potentiate the memory impairment caused by 1.25 mg/kg of clozapine. Chronic systemic nicotine did not significantly interact with these effects.


CONCLUSIONS
The state of nicotinic receptor activation in the ventral hippocampus significantly affected the impact of clozapine on working memory with blockade of alpha7 nicotinic receptors potentiating clozapine-induced memory impairment and blockade of alpha4beta2 receptors reversing the clozapine effect from impairing to improving memory.
Pocivavsek
Ana
A
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Icenogle
Laura
L
Levin
Edward D
ED
D000157:Aconitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003024:Clozapine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004079:Dihydro-beta-Erythroidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000502:physiology*; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; C579165:Chrna7 protein, rat; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor; C403531:nicotinic receptor alpha4beta2; C054634:methyllycaconitine; D004079:Dihydro-beta-Erythroidine; D009538:Nicotine; D003024:Clozapine; D000157:Aconitine