Abstract
Strychnine-insensitive glycine binding sites have recently been shown to positively modulate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. In the present study, the effects on recognition memory of D-cycloserine, a partial agonist at the glycine modulatory site on the NMDA receptor, were evaluated in rhesus monkeys performing a computer-automated version of delayed nonmatching-to-sample (DNMS) with a list length of 20 trail-unique graphic symbols. Single administration of D-cycloserine (100-1000 micrograms/kg i.m.) facilitated DNMS performance significantly with an inverted U-shaped dose-response curve when given 30 min before testing. To assess further the possible neural mechanisms, D-cycloserine was evaluated for its effects on the memory impairments after blockade of the glycine sites by HA-966, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors by MK-801, or cholinergic receptors by scopolamine. D-Cycloserine completely reversed the visual recognition memory deficits produced by HA-966 (3.2 mg/kg i.m.). D-Cycloserine also dose-dependently and significantly restored the memory deficits produced by MK-801 (32 micrograms/kg i.m.). In addition, D-cycloserine produced a partial, though significant, improvement on the recognition memory deficits after cholinergic blockade with scopolamine (10 micrograms/kg i.m.). From these results, we propose that D-cycloserine has a cognition-enhancing property in non-human primates and that it may have a potential value in treating dementias. Furthermore, the present results provide new evidence for the important role for the glycine sites in the regulation of recognition memory.
JPET articles become freely available 12 months after publication, and remain freely available for 5 years.Non-open access articles that fall outside this five year window are available only to institutional subscribers and current ASPET members, or through the article purchase feature at the bottom of the page.
|