Exploratory behavior and the dual activity of some psychoactive drugs. Part 5. Alcohol.

Alcohol is reported to impair acquisition and learning processes and it is considered a depressant of the brain activities impairing rapidity and consistency of some behaviors. The experiments reported here are concerned with the exploratory performances of the already described subpopulations of Albino mice under the effect of alcohols of different types.

Chronic phosphatidylserine treatment improves spatial memory and passive avoidance in aged rats.

Learning/memory deficits in senescent animals are widely used as a tool to evaluate the therapeutic potential of agents for treatment of age-associated cognitive dysfunction. As assessed in the Morris water maze test, aged (21-24 months) rats showed a variable loss of spatial memory. Aged non-impaired rats performed as well as young subjects, while aged impaired rats exhibited a severe and persistent place-navigation deficit.

Exploratory behavior and the dual activity of some psychoactive drugs. Part IV. Neuroleptics.

Exploration is an essential, life-preserving component of animal higher nervous functions. The experiments presented here show that exploratory behavior may differ in relation to the subject's emotional baseline, and that accordingly, it is affected differently by various neuroleptics.

Difference in learning and retention by Albino-Swiss mice. Part 5. Effect of some antidepressants.

According to the methods described earlier (1), the effect of some antidepressants on memory retention in "good" and "poor" learning mice was studied. The present study indicates that several antidepressants have different activity on memory retrieval of the two subtypes of animals, which is directly responsible for the results here reported. In general terms, the data obtained show that, in addition to the classical antidepressant activity, some derivatives may exert a behavioral disinhibition.

Exploratory behavior and the dual activity of some psychoactive drugs. Part III. Antidepressants.

Exploration is an essential, life-preserving component of animal higher nervous functions. The experiments presented here show that exploratory behavior may differ in relation to the subject's emotional baseline, and that accordingly it is affected differently by various antidepressants.

Effect of some anesthetics on memory and exploration.

A light ether anesthesia in laboratory mice resulted in the complete drop of their memory retrieval to zero for more than three days after the administration. On the contrary, mice that underwent the exploration test after the light ether anesthesia performed as expected, confirming that impairment of memory does not necessarily reflect on exploratory performance. The effect of some anesthetic drugs was then studied on memory retrieval and exploratory behavior.

Exploratory behavior and the dual activity of some psychoactive drugs: Part II.

Exploration is an essential, life-preserving component of animal higher nervous functions. The experiments presented here show that exploratory behavior may differ according to the experimental subject's emotional baseline, and that exploratory performance is accordingly affected differently by some nutrients and central stimulants.

Activity of phosphatidylserine on memory retrieval and on exploration in mice.

Recent human and animal studies have reported about neurochemical and behavioral changes occurring during aging. Bovine brain phosphatidylserine (BC-PS) administered in vivo was reported to produce changes in the metabolic status of the brain and in behavioral performances. Within the Albino-Swiss strain of mice two subtypes have been shown to exist with different learning and memory retention abilities.

Exploratory behavior and the dual activity of some psychoactive drugs. Part 1.

Animal behavior in a free environment involves the orienting reflex, a major component of which is exploratory behavior. Exploration is an essential, life-preserving component of animal higher nervous functions and the experiments presented here show that exploratory behavior may differ according to the experimental subjects' emotional baseline. Exploratory performance may accordingly be affected differently by psychoactive drugs.

Norepinephrine-mediated suppression of apomorphine-induced aggression and locomotor activity in the rat amygdala.

The effect of injections of norepinephrine (NE)-depleting toxin DSP-4 into the central amygdala (AMY) on apomorphine-induced fighting (AIF) was studied. In addition, the influence of such treatment on related parameters such as spontaneous activity, pain sensitivity and changes in locomotion after (+)3-PPP or apomorphine (1 mg/kg SC each) were verified. Finally, injections of NE or phenylephrine into the AMY five min before AIF were performed.

Difference in learning and retention by Albino-Swiss mice. Part IV. Effect of some nutrients.

According to the preceding papers, the possible difference in activity of some nutrients on memory retrieval of "good" and "poor" learning mice was studied. Among the substances used, only phenylalanine significantly improved memory recall of poor learning mice. On the contrary, tryptophan, tyrosine, phosphatidylserine and choline did not influence memory retention of previously learned avoidance of both poor and good learning mice.

Enhanced apomorphine-induced fighting in rats after prolonged oral treatment with drugs altering noradrenergic transmission.

Male Wistar rats were given orally for seven days water, clonidine (0.125 or 0.25 mg/kg bid) or S3341, a new clonidine-like drug (2.

Effect of chronic administration of alprazolam and adinazolam on clonidine- or apomorphine-induced aggression in laboratory rodents.

The activity of chronic (3 weeks) treatment with the triazolobenzodiazepines, alprazolam and adinazolam, on clonidine- and apomorphine-induced aggression were studied. Adinazolam, like desipramine, potentiated aggression induced by clonidine while diazepam and alprazolam completely abolished it. In the apomorphine-induced aggression, adinazolam suppressed both aggressivity and stereotypy, while diazepam slightly potentiated it.

Difference in learning and retention by Albino Swiss mice. Part III. Effect of some brain stimulants.

According to the two preceding papers, the possible difference in activity of brain stimulants on memory retrieval of "good" and "poor" learning mice was studied. Among the drugs studied, caffeine, oxiracetam and nicotine significantly improved memory recall of poor learning mice. On the contrary, methylphenidate, fipexide and piracetam did not significantly modify memory retention of previously learned avoidance of both poor and good learning mice.

Age-dependent spontaneous EEG bursts in rats: effects of brain phosphatidylserine.

During aging, male Sprague-Dawley rats display increasing frequency of bursts of seizure-like EEG patterns. They also have a decreased retention of passive avoidance response and a loss of spontaneous alternation in a Y maze. A study was made on the effects of chronic administration of phosphatidylserine in aged rats.

Effect of 6-OHDA injected into the locus coeruleus on apomorphine-induced aggression.

Bilateral microinjections of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the nuclei loci coerulei (LC) of male Wistar rats resulted in significant depletion of mesencephalic and striatal norepinephrine, accompanied by a small reduction in dopamine content only in the striatum. Apomorphine (2.5 mg/kg IP) induced marked aggression consisting of prolonged posturing, vocalization and attacks only in 6-OHDA lesioned animals.

Chemical lesions of the nucleus accumbens septi in rats: effects on muricide and apomorphine-induced aggression.

To assess the influence of monoaminergic neurones in the nucleus accumbens septi (NAS) on muricidal and apomorphine-induced aggression, bilateral intraaccumbens injections of relevant neurotoxins were performed. Neurochemical effects in the mesolimbic area (NAS and tuberculi olfactorii) and striatal tissue were investigated using high performance liquid chromatography. 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) with desipramine pretreatment significantly decreased mesolimbic dopamine (DA) metabolism, 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) plus desipramine diminished serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), while DSP-4 depleted noradrenaline (NA), 5-HT, 5-HIAA and tryptophan in the mesolimbic area.

Reversal of scopolamine-induced amnesia by phosphatidylserine in rats.

Scopolamine (2 mg/kg IP) and propranolol (55 mg/kg IP), given before a single learning trial, reduce retention of a passive avoidance response in rats. Phosphatidylserine, 30-60 mg/kg IP, antagonizes the amnesic effect of scopolamine but not that of propranolol. The retention of the passive avoidance response is not affected by phosphatidylserine given alone.

Difference in learning and retention by Albino-Swiss mice. Part 2. Effect of some anxiolytic drugs.

According to the method described earlier (1), the effect of some anxiolytics on memory retention in "good" and "poor" learning mice was studied. While the classical benzodiazepine (diazepam) significantly improves performance of both sub-populations of mice, non-benzodiazepine anxiolytics worsen that of poor learners and triazolobenzodiazepines increase performance.

Difference in learning and retention by albino-Swiss mice. Part 1. Effect of pyritinol.

A new and easy method to demonstrate different degrees of facility for learning and retention within the same strain of laboratory mice is described. According to this method, it is possible to divide the general population into given percentage of "good learners" and "poor learners". These two subpopulations react differently to the influence of several psychoactive drugs.

Evidence of norepinephrine-mediated suppression of para-chlorophenylalanine-induced muricidal behavior.

Rats were made aggressive (muricide behavior) by p-chlorophenylalanine (p-CPA) treatment. The aggressive behavior was inhibited by the electrical stimulation of the locus coeruleus (LC) or by the administration of yohimbine (20 mg/kg i.p.

Basomedial amygdaloid lesions and p-CPA induced muricidal aggression.

Bilateral lesions of basomedial amygdaloid nuclei are capable of significantly inhibiting muricidal aggression induced by oral p-chlorophenylalanine (p-CPA) in male rats. Rats lesioned in extra-amygdaloid structures or sham-lesioned show the usual p-CPA-induced muricidal activity, which ranges from 70 to 80% of treated animals. The results obtained indicate that basomedial amygdaloid nuclei play an important role in regulating p-CPA-induced muricidal aggression, even though the effect lasts for a relatively limited period of time.

Animal models of behavioral pathology and violent aggression.

To avoid the danger of an increasing gap between clinical and animal studies and to assure a constant progression of knowledge, psychiatric researchers need to find a common ground of convergence. Such common ground might be found in searching for human and animal models of disturbed behavior, conceptually comprehensive of the variables which may concur in the determination of the behavioral syndromes.

Anxiolytic activity on locus coeruleus-mediated suppression of muricidal aggression.

The evidence suggests that stimulation of brain noradrenergic neurons plays an inhibitory role in rat mouse-killing (muricidal) aggression. Anxiolytic benzodiazepines inhibit locus coeruleus activity and previous data showed that chlordiazepoxide was capable of antagonizing the locus coeruleus-mediated suppression of muricidal aggression. The present experiments showed that this effect is common to new anxiolytic triazolobenzodiazepines and to other non-benzodiazepine derivatives with anxiolytic activity.