PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Masato Nakashima AU - Haruka Imada AU - Eri Shiraishi AU - Yuki Ito AU - Noriko Suzuki AU - Maki Miyamoto AU - Takahiko Taniguchi AU - Hiroki Iwashita TI - Phosphodiesterase 2A Inhibitor TAK-915 Ameliorates Cognitive Impairments and Social Withdrawal in <em>N</em>-Methyl-<span class="sc">d</span>-Aspartate Receptor Antagonist–Induced Rat Models of Schizophrenia AID - 10.1124/jpet.117.245506 DP - 2018 Apr 01 TA - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics PG - 179--188 VI - 365 IP - 1 4099 - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/365/1/179.short 4100 - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/365/1/179.full SO - J Pharmacol Exp Ther2018 Apr 01; 365 AB - The pathophysiology of schizophrenia has been associated with glutamatergic dysfunction. Modulation of the glutamatergic signaling pathway, including N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, can provide a new therapeutic target for schizophrenia. Phosphodiesterase 2A (PDE2A) is highly expressed in the forebrain, and is a dual substrate enzyme that hydrolyzes both cAMP and cGMP, which play pivotal roles as intracellular second messengers downstream of NMDA receptors. Here we characterize the in vivo pharmacological profile of a selective and brain-penetrant PDE2A inhibitor, (N-{(1S)-1-[3-fluoro-4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl]-2-methoxyethyl}-7-methoxy-2-oxo-2,3-dihydropyrido[2,3-b]pyrazine-4(1H)-carboxamide) (TAK-915) as a novel treatment of schizophrenia. Oral administration of TAK-915 at 3 and 10 mg/kg significantly increased cGMP levels in the frontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum of rats. TAK-915 at 10 mg/kg significantly upregulated the phosphorylation of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-proprionic acid receptor subunit GluR1 in the rat hippocampus. TAK-915 at 3 and 10 mg/kg significantly attenuated episodic memory deficits induced by the NMDA receptor antagonist (+)-MK-801 hydrogen maleate (MK-801) in the rat passive avoidance test. TAK-915 at 10 mg/kg significantly attenuated working memory deficits induced by MK-801 in the rat radial arm maze test. Additionally, TAK-915 at 10 mg/kg prevented subchronic phencyclidine-induced social withdrawal in social interaction in rats. In contrast, TAK-915 did not produce antipsychotic-like activity; TAK-915 had little effect on MK-801- or methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion in rats. These results suggest that TAK-915 has a potential to ameliorate cognitive impairments and social withdrawal in schizophrenia.