Nishijo Hisao, Uwano Teruko, Zhong Yong-Mei, Ono Taketoshi
System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama, Japan.
J Pharmacol Sci. 2004 Jun;95(2):145-52. doi: 10.1254/jphs.fmj04001x3.
Ameliorating effects of red ginseng on learning and memory deficits due to hippocampal lesions and aging were reviewed; the performance of young rats with selective hippocampal lesions with or without red ginseng (p.o.), and aged rats with or without red ginseng (p.o.) in the spatial learning tasks was compared with that of sham-operated or intact young rats. Each rat was tested with 3 types of spatial learning tasks (distance movement task, DMT; random reward place search task, RRPST; and place learning task, PLT) in a circular open field using intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) as reward. The results in the DMT and RRPST indicated that motivational and motor activity of young rats with hippocampal lesions with and without ginseng and aged rats with and without ginseng were not significantly different from that of control young rats. However, young rats with hippocampal lesions without ginseng and aged rats without ginseng displayed significant deficits in the PLT. Treatment with red ginseng significantly ameliorated place-navigation deficits in young rats with hippocampal lesions in the PLT. Similarly, red ginseng improved performance of aged rats in the PLT. The results, along with previous studies showing significant effects of red ginseng on the central nervous system, suggest that red ginseng ameliorates learning and memory deficits through effects on the central nervous system, partly through effects on the hippocampal formation. However, its mechanisms are still unclear, and further studies are required.
综述了红参对海马损伤和衰老所致学习记忆缺陷的改善作用；比较了有或无红参（口服）处理的选择性海马损伤幼鼠以及有或无红参（口服）处理的老龄大鼠在空间学习任务中的表现与假手术或未处理的幼鼠的表现。每只大鼠在圆形开放场中通过颅内自我刺激（ICSS）作为奖励接受3种类型的空间学习任务测试（距离移动任务，DMT；随机奖励位置搜索任务，RRPST；和位置学习任务，PLT）。DMT和RRPST的结果表明，有或无红参处理的海马损伤幼鼠以及有或无红参处理的老龄大鼠的动机和运动活动与对照幼鼠没有显著差异。然而，未用红参处理的海马损伤幼鼠和未用红参处理的老龄大鼠在PLT中表现出明显的缺陷。红参处理显著改善了PLT中有海马损伤的幼鼠的位置导航缺陷。同样，红参改善了老龄大鼠在PLT中的表现。这些结果以及先前研究显示红参对中枢神经系统有显著作用，表明红参通过对中枢神经系统的作用，部分通过对海马结构的作用来改善学习和记忆缺陷。然而，其机制仍不清楚，需要进一步研究。
