Modafinil and memory: Effects of modafinil on Morris water maze learning and Pavlovian fear conditioning.

Abstract Background Retigabine belongs to the novel generation of antiepileptic drugs but its complex mechanism of action causes that the drug might be effective in other diseases, for instance, alcohol dependence. It is known that ethanol abuse impaired the function of brain structures associated with memory and learning such as the hippocampus. In our previous study, retigabine reduced hippocampal changes induced by ethanol in the EEG rhythms in rabbits. This study is focused on the impact of retigabine on memory processes in male rats receiving alcohol. Methods Memory was evaluated in various experimental models: Morris water maze, Contextual, and Cued Fear Conditioning tests. Retigabine was administered for 3 weeks directly to the stomach via oral gavage at a dose of 10 mg/kg. Rats received also 20% ethanol (5 g/kg/day in two doses) via oral gavage for 3 weeks and had free access to 5% ethanol in the afternoon and at night. Morris water maze was performed after 1 and 3 weeks of ethanol administration and after 1 week from the discontinuation of ethanol administration. Contextual and Cued Fear Conditioning tests were carried out after 24 h and 72 h of alcohol discontinuation. Results The drug significantly decreased ethanol-induced memory disturbances during alcohol administration as well as slightly improved learning processes after the discontinuation of ethanol administration. Conclusions This beneficial effect of retigabine-ethanol interaction on memory may be a relevant element of the drug’s impact on the development of addiction.

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The role of GFAP and vimentin in learning and memory

Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1515/hsz-2019-0199 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 400 (9) ◽

pp. 1147-1156 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Ulrika Wilhelmsson ◽

Andrea Pozo-Rodrigalvarez ◽

Marie Kalm ◽

Yolanda de Pablo ◽

Åsa Widestrand ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Object Recognition ◽

Fear Conditioning ◽

Morris Water Maze ◽

Exploratory Behavior ◽

Water Maze ◽

Trace Fear Conditioning ◽

Memory Extinction ◽

Post Traumatic ◽

Trace Fear

Abstract Intermediate filaments (also termed nanofilaments) are involved in many cellular functions and play important roles in cellular responses to stress. The upregulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin (Vim), intermediate filament proteins of astrocytes, is the hallmark of astrocyte activation and reactive gliosis in response to injury, ischemia or neurodegeneration. Reactive gliosis is essential for the protective role of astrocytes at acute stages of neurotrauma or ischemic stroke. However, GFAP and Vim were also linked to neural plasticity and regenerative responses in healthy and injured brain. Mice deficient for GFAP and vimentin (GFAP−/−Vim−/−) exhibit increased post-traumatic synaptic plasticity and increased basal and post-traumatic hippocampal neurogenesis. Here we assessed the locomotor and exploratory behavior of GFAP−/−Vim−/− mice, their learning, memory and memory extinction, by using the open field, object recognition and Morris water maze tests, trace fear conditioning, and by recording reversal learning in IntelliCages. While the locomotion, exploratory behavior and learning of GFAP−/−Vim−/− mice, as assessed by object recognition, the Morris water maze, and trace fear conditioning tests, were comparable to wildtype mice, GFAP−/−Vim−/− mice showed more pronounced memory extinction when tested in IntelliCages, a finding compatible with the scenario of an increased rate of reorganization of the hippocampal circuitry.

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Involvement of cholinergic systems in deficit of Morris water-maze learning induced by baclofen.

The Japanese Journal of Pharmacology ◽

10.1016/s0021-5198(19)47160-6 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 67 ◽

pp. 299

Author(s):

Yutaka Nakagawa ◽

Yoshinori Ishibashi ◽

Toshio Yashli ◽

Eijim Taeashira

Keyword(s):

Morris Water Maze ◽

Water Maze ◽

Maze Learning ◽

Cholinergic Systems

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Prolonged initiation latency in Morris water maze learning in rats with ibotenic acid lesions to medial striatum: effects of systemic and intranigral muscimol administration

Brain Research ◽

10.1016/j.brainres.2004.10.008 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 1030 (2) ◽

pp. 193-200 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Keiichi Shirakawa ◽

Yukio Ichitani

Keyword(s):

Morris Water Maze ◽

Water Maze ◽

Ibotenic Acid ◽

Maze Learning

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Effects of naloxone on Morris water maze learning in the rat: Enhanced acquisition with pretraining but not posttraining administration

Psychobiology ◽

10.1007/bf03337778 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 270-275 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Michael W. Decker ◽

Ines B. Introini-Collison ◽

James L. Mcgaugh

Keyword(s):

Morris Water Maze ◽

Water Maze ◽

Maze Learning

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CaMKII binding to GluN2B is important for massed spatial learning in the Morris water maze

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.4660.1 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 193 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Ivar S. Stein ◽

Michaela S. Donaldson ◽

Johannes W. Hell

Keyword(s):

Fear Conditioning ◽

Morris Water Maze ◽

Water Maze ◽

Specific Interaction ◽

Long Term Potentiation ◽

Contextual Fear Conditioning ◽

Barnes Maze ◽

Contextual Fear ◽

Term Potentiation ◽

Dependent Protein

Learning and memory as well as long-term potentiation (LTP) depend on Ca2+ influx through the NMDA-type glutamate receptor (NMDAR) and the resulting activation of the Ca2+ and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMKII). Ca2+ influx via the NMDAR triggers CaMKII binding to the NMDAR for enhanced CaMKII accumulation at post-synaptic sites that experience heightened activity as occurring during LTP. Previously, we generated knock-in (KI) mice in which we replaced two residues in the NMDAR GluN2B subunit to impair CaMKII binding to GluN2B. Various forms of LTP at the Schaffer collateral synapses in CA1 are reduced by 50%. Nevertheless, working memory in the win-shift 8 arm maze and learning of the Morris water maze (MWM) task was normal in the KI mice although recall of the task was impaired in these mice during the period of early memory consolidation. We now show that massed training in the MWM task within a single day resulted in impaired learning. However, learning and recall of the Barnes maze task and contextual fear conditioning over one or multiple days were surprisingly unaffected. The differences observed in the MWM compared to the Barnes maze and contextual fear conditioning suggest a differential involvement of CaMKII and the specific interaction with GluN2B, probably depending on varying degrees of stress, cognitive demand or even potentially different plasticity mechanisms associated with the diverse tasks.

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Protein tyrosine phosphatase alpha (PTPα) knockout mice show deficits in Morris water maze learning, decreased locomotor activity, and decreases in anxiety

Brain Research ◽

10.1016/s0006-8993(03)02839-7 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 984 (1-2) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Matthew R Skelton ◽

Sathivel Ponniah ◽

Dennis Z.-M Wang ◽

Thomas Doetschman ◽

Charles V Vorhees ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Locomotor Activity ◽

Morris Water Maze ◽

Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase ◽

Knockout Mice ◽

Water Maze ◽

Tyrosine Phosphatase ◽

Maze Learning ◽

Protein Tyrosine

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Unraveling Early Signs of Navigational Impairment in APPswe/PS1dE9 Mice Using Morris Water Maze

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2020.568200 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

Author(s):

Smitha Karunakaran

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Morris Water Maze ◽

Water Maze ◽

Maze Learning ◽

Wild Type ◽

Behavioral Deficits ◽

Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Error Learning ◽

Early Indicators

Mild behavioral deficits, which are part of normal aging, can be early indicators of an impending Alzheimer's disease. Using the APPswe/PS1dE9 (APP/PS1) mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, we utilized the Morris water maze spatial learning paradigm to systematically evaluate mild behavioral deficits that occur during the early stages of disease pathogenesis. Conventional behavioral analysis using this model indicates that spatial memory is intact at 2 months of age. In this study, we used an alternative method to analyze the behavior of mice, aiming to gain a better understanding of the nature of cognitive deficits by focusing on the unsuccessful trials during water maze learning rather than on the successful ones. APP/PS1 mice displayed a higher number of unsuccessful trials during the initial days of training, unlike their wild-type counterparts. However, with repeated trial and error, learning in APP/PS1 reached levels comparable to that of the wild-type mice during the later days of training. Individual APP/PS1 mice preferred a non-cognitive search strategy called circling, which led to abrupt learning transitions and an increased number of unsuccessful trials. These findings indicate the significance of subtle intermediate readouts as early indicators of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

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