Frick K M, Gorman L K, Markowska A L
Department of Psychology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
Behav Brain Res. 1996 Oct;80(1-2):99-109. doi: 10.1016/0166-4328(96)00025-3.
Age-related spatial memory deficits are correlated with septohippocampal cholinergic system degeneration. The present study examined the effect of intraseptal infusions of the cholinergic agonist, oxotremorine, on spatial reference memory in middle-aged rats using place discrimination in the water maze, and on cholinergic activity using choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity. Oxotremorine mildly improved the rate of place discrimination acquisition of middle-aged rats during initial sessions only, but did not affect asymptotic levels of performance achieved. Of the brain regions assayed, ChAT activity increased with age in the temporal cortex and dorsal CA2/3 region of the hippocampus. Oxotremorine significantly decreased ChAT activity in the dorsal hippocampus. In contrast to our previous results in aged rats indicating a more robust effect of oxotremorine on spatial working memory, the present results suggest a modest effect of intraseptal oxotremorine on the acquisition of a spatial reference memory task.
与年龄相关的空间记忆缺陷与隔海马胆碱能系统退变相关。本研究使用水迷宫中的位置辨别实验，检测了向隔区内注射胆碱能激动剂氧化震颤素对中年大鼠空间参考记忆的影响，以及使用胆碱乙酰转移酶（ChAT）活性检测其对胆碱能活性的影响。氧化震颤素仅在最初阶段轻度改善了中年大鼠的位置辨别习得率，但不影响最终达到的行为表现水平。在所检测的脑区中，颞叶皮质和海马背侧CA2/3区的ChAT活性随年龄增加。氧化震颤素显著降低了背侧海马的ChAT活性。与我们之前在老年大鼠中的结果（表明氧化震颤素对空间工作记忆有更强作用）相反，目前的结果提示隔区内注射氧化震颤素对空间参考记忆任务的习得有适度作用。
