Low-Affinity/High-Selectivity Dopamine Transport Inhibition Sufficient to Rescue Cognitive Functions in the Aging Rat.

The worldwide increase in cognitive decline, both in aging and with psychiatric disorders, warrants a search for pharmacological treatment. Although dopaminergic treatment approaches represent a major step forward, current dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibitors are not sufficiently specific as they also target other transporters and receptors, thus showing unwanted side effects. Herein, we describe an enantiomerically pure, highly specific DAT inhibitor, S-CE-123, synthetized in our laboratory.

Preliminary Review of Spine Tumor Radiologic, Intra-Operative and Histopathology Findings, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: Spinal tumors constitute 10-32% of all primary central nervous system tumors. Accurate radiologic and histopathology diagnosis is crucial in the management and prognosis. The aim of the study was to describe the imaging patterns and to determine the agreement of imaging pattern of spinal tumors with intra-operative and histopathology findings.

Evaluating Working Memory on a T-maze in Male Rats.

Working memory is short-term memory, so temporal improvement does not reflect the consolidation of a memory trace, rather the functionality of the underlying neuronal circuits and molecular signaling cascades. The administration of drugs-either one-time or through daily injection-can elucidate the underlying mechanisms. The T-maze is especially suitable for studying dopamine-dependent working memory, since it is less stressful than other tests, for example, water maze-based paradigms ( Bezu , 2016 and 2017).

Spatial Working Memory in Male Rats: Pre-Experience and Task Dependent Roles of Dopamine D1- and D2-Like Receptors.

The dopaminergic system is known to be involved in working memory processed by several brain regions like prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus, striatum. In an earlier study we could show that Levodopa but not Modafinil enhanced working memory in a T-maze only during the early phase of training (day 3), whereas the later phase remained unaffected. Rats treated with a higher dose performed better than low dose treated rats.

Repeated application of Modafinil and Levodopa reveals a drug-independent precise timing of spatial working memory modulation.

Cognition enhancing drugs often target the dopaminergic system, which is involved in learning and memory, including working memory that in turn involves mainly the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. In most animal models for modulations of working memory animals are pre-trained to a certain criterion and treated then acutely to test drugs effects on working memory. Thus, little is known regarding subchronic or chronic application of cognition enhancing drugs and working memory performance.