title: Theophylline attenuates microwave-induced impairment of memory acquisition.
abstract: Numerous studies have shown that acute microwave exposure causes cognitive deficits in animals, possibly via hyperthermia, but the biological effect of microwave exposure on memory processing is still unknown. The release of adenosine is demonstrated to be a general way for the cells to respond to metabolically stressful conditions such as hypoxia and ischemia. The present study aimed to examine whether adenosine mediates biological effects of microwave exposure on memory processing using a continuous multiple-trial inhibitory avoidance task. Results demonstrated that microwave exposure for 20 min before training impaired memory acquisition and retention performance in mice, assessed by the number of training trials and by latency to enter the dark compartment. The mice exposed to microwave radiation showed a dose-dependent hyperthermia. Moreover, the cell numbers of hippocampus were decreased in the mice receiving microwave exposure at an average power density of 50 mW/cm(2), indicating the anatomical correlation to hippocampal-amygdaloid structures corresponding with the memory disrupt of the mice. Administration of theophylline, a nonspecific adenosine receptor antagonist, 30 min before microwave exposure, completely antagonized the impairment of inhibitory avoidance acquisition but not retention. These results suggest that the adenosine regulation pathway was partially involved in microwave-induced impairment of inhibitory avoidance memory.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing 100850, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Wei
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Yun-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Zhen-Tao
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Guo-Shan
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Shi-Fu
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Fu-Chu
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Cheng-Gang
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000241:Adenosine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000528:radiation effects; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051379:Mice; D008872:Microwaves / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058915:Purinergic P1 Receptor Antagonists; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D018047:Receptors, Purinergic P1 / Q000378:metabolism; D013806:Theophylline / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; D058915:Purinergic P1 Receptor Antagonists; D018047:Receptors, Purinergic P1; D013806:Theophylline; D000241:Adenosine