Cognitive enhancing properties of beta-CCM infused into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis of the rat

• Published in: Brain research Vol. 589; no. 1; p. 109
• Main Authors: Mayo, W, Dellu, F, Cherkaoui, J, Chapouthier, G, Dodd, R H, Le Moal, M, Simon, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 28-08-1992
• Subjects: Animals; Carbolines - administration & dosage; Cognition - drug effects; Flumazenil - pharmacology; Memory - drug effects; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, GABA-A - drug effects; Reproducibility of Results; Substantia Innominata - drug effects; Synaptic Transmission - drug effects
• ISSN: 0006-8993
• DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(92)91168-E

Peripheral administration of various benzodiazepine derivatives or beta-carbolines (inverse agonists at benzodiazepine receptors), has been shown to affect memory. In this study, the effect of local infusion of a beta-carboline-methyl beta carboline-3-carboxylate (beta-CCM) into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) of rats was examined in a two-trial recognition task. The results show that beta-CMM (3 micrograms/0.5 microliter) enhances recognition performance when injected both before or immediately after the acquisition trial. These effects appear to be mediated by a benzodiazepine (BZD) receptor since they were blocked by pretreatment with Ro 15-1788, a BZD receptor antagonist. This study supports the involvement of the NBM in cognitive processes, and demonstrates that these processes can be influenced by alteration of GABAergic neurotransmission.