Abstract
We investigated the effects of various types of calcium channel antagonists on the amelioration by nefiracetam [N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-2-(2-oxo-1-pyrrolidinyl) acetamide, DM-9384] of scopolamine-induced impairment of performance in a passive avoidance task in mice. The reversal of the scopolamine-induced impairment of performance by nefiracetam showed a bell-shaped plot. Both i.p. and i.c.v. injection of L-type calcium channel antagonists such as nifedipine and flunarizine attenuated the ameliorating effects of nefiracetam, although diltiazem had no effect. Neomycin, an N-type calcium channel antagonist, also attenuated these effects of nefiracetam in a dose-dependent manner. Further, LaCl3 but not NiCl2 showed inhibitory effects on the amelioration by nefiracetam. These results suggest that the activation of high-voltage-activated, but not low-voltage-activated, calcium channels is involved in the ameliorating effects of nefiracetam on scopolamine-induced impairment of performance in a passive avoidance task.
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.
|
