The benzodiazepine receptor inverse agonist RO 15-3505 reverses recent memory deficits in aged mice.

Abstract

The benzodiazepine receptor partial inverse agonist RO 15-3505 was tested for its ability to improve impaired recent memory of aged mice. All mice successfully acquired a learning set for accurate identification of the correct arm of a T-maze and could perform with nearly 100% accuracy after 1-min delays. However, performance of the aged mice approached chance levels after 2-h delays. When injected just before testing on a series of 2-h retention tests, RO 15-3505 (from 2.5-3505 (from 2.5-10.0 mg/kg) resulted in a marked improvement of response accuracy. These results confirm the role of benzodiazepine receptor mechanisms in the modulation of memory processes, and suggest that the memory-facilitating effects RO 15-3505 or similar benzodiazepine receptor ligands may be generalized to aged rodents with impaired memory function.

• Authors: M J Forster, P L Prather, S R Patel, H Lal
• Journal: Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior (Pharmacol Biochem Behav) 1995 Jun-Jul Vol. 51 Issue 2-3 Pg. 557-60 ISSN: 0091-3057 [Print] United States
• PMID: 7667387 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Benzodiazepinones
• GABA-A Receptor Agonists
• Benzodiazepines
• Flumazenil
• Ro 15-3505

Topics

• Aging (psychology)
• Animals
• Avoidance Learning (drug effects)
• Benzodiazepines (antagonists & inhibitors)
• Benzodiazepinones (therapeutic use)
• Discrimination, Psychological (drug effects)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Flumazenil (pharmacology)
• GABA-A Receptor Agonists
• Memory Disorders (drug therapy, psychology)
• Memory, Short-Term (drug effects)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL