title: Impairments in trace EB conditioning by knife-cut lesions to the fornix in rabbits: reversal by galantamine.
abstract: Previous work in our laboratory demonstrated that galantamine, a cholinesterase inhibitor and weak cholinergic agonist, facilitated classical trace eyeblink conditioning in healthy, young rabbits [Simon, B. B., Knuckley, B., & Powell, D. A. (2004). Galantamine facilitates acquisition of a trace-conditioned eyeblink response in healthy, young rabbits. Learning & Memory, 11(1), 116-122.]. The current study investigated the effects of galantamine (0.0 or 3.0mg/kg) in rabbits sustaining knife-cut lesions to the fimbria-fornix, a major projection pathway connecting the hippocampus to cortical and subcortical brain structures involved in the formation of long-term memories. Two experiments were conducted. Experiment one assessed the effects of knife-cut lesions to the fornix or sham surgeries on trace eyeblink (EB) conditioning. Results indicate that fornix lesions significantly retarded EB conditioning when trace parameters were employed. Experiment 2 assessed whether treatment with galantamine would reverse the deficits caused by fornix damage. Results indicate that 3.0mg/kg GAL reversed trace EB conditioning deficits in animals with fornix knife-cut lesions. These findings suggest that galantamine may provide benefit in the reversal of cognitive dysfunction following certain types of brain damage, especially damage involving hippocampal structures.
authors.affiliation: Shirley L. Buchanan Neuroscience Laboratory (151A), WJB Dorn VA Medical Center, 6439 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, SC 29209, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Oswald
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Maddox
authors.forename: Donald A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Powell
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D018678:Cholinergic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003215:Conditioning, Eyelid / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D020712:Fornix, Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005702:Galantamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D018678:Cholinergic Agents; D005702:Galantamine