[Study on the anti-dementia therapies for rats with a unilateral basal forebrain lesion--serial changes of the cholinergic markers' activities and event-related potentials after the administration of bifemelane hydrochloride or autotransplantation of the vagal nodosal ganglion].

Abstract

Using rats with a unilateral lesion in the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM), we examined electrophysiologically the therapeutic effects of bifemelane (BIF) and autotransplantation of the vagal nodosal ganglion (X) on the event-related potential (P300) serially for 4 weeks, and also neurochemically their effects on cholinergic markers--the specific binding of 3H-QNB (quinuclidinyl benzilate) on muscarinic acetyl-choline receptor (mAChR) and the activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and choline acetyltransferase (CAT). The latency of P300 was continuously delayed and its amplitude remained low voltage until 4 weeks in the NBM-lesioned rats (No-Tx group). Whereas the latency and amplitude returned to normal after 2-3 weeks in the rats given daily intraperitoneal injection of 15 mg/kg BIF (BIF group) and autotransplanted ones (X group). The cortical CAT and AChE levels on the lesion side did not recover until 4 weeks in No-Tx group, but the CAT levels recovered after 3 weeks in both BIF and X group; the AChE levels, after 1 week in BIF group and after 3 weeks in X group. The cortical mAChR on the lesion side was within or more than normal range in all rats. These results might indicate as follows: 1) Compensatory postsynaptic process such as cortical mAChR increase and AChE decrease occurred after acute cholinergic depletion. 2) Administration of BIF and X autotransplantation recovered cortical CAT and AChE levels and normalized cholinergic neuronal activity of P300.

• Authors: K Ikeda, J Yamashita, T Egashira, F Takayama, Y Yamanaka
• Journal: No to shinkei = Brain and nerve (No To Shinkei) Vol. 47 Issue 5 Pg. 455-63 (May 1995) ISSN: 0006-8969 [Print] Japan
• PMID: 7786622 (Publication Type: English Abstract, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Benzhydryl Compounds
• Receptors, Muscarinic
• Quinuclidinyl Benzilate
• Choline O-Acetyltransferase
• Acetylcholinesterase
• bifemelane

Topics

• Acetylcholinesterase (analysis)
• Animals
• Benzhydryl Compounds (therapeutic use)
• Brain Diseases (complications)
• Choline O-Acetyltransferase (analysis)
• Dementia (etiology, therapy)
• Evoked Potentials (drug effects)
• Male
• Prosencephalon
• Quinuclidinyl Benzilate (metabolism)
• Rats
• Receptors, Muscarinic (metabolism)
• Transplantation, Autologous
• Vagus Nerve (transplantation)