Stahl CE, Kusayama T, Keep M, Elmer E, Watanabe S, Borlongan CV (2001) Cyclosporine-A improves performance in passive avoidance task in adult rats with basal forebrain lesions. Neuroscience 2001 Abstracts 101.11. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA.
Summary: While mainly used as an immunosuppressant, newly identified properties of CsA suggest its potential as a therapeutic agent for neurological disorders. In the present study, we investigated the effects of CsA in acquisition and retention of passive avoidance task in adult rats lesioned with 192-IgG-saporin, an immunotoxin that targets cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain. Starting on the day of the lesion up to 7 days thereafter, animals received either daily CsA (10 mg/kg, i.p. ) or vehicle alone. On day 8 (acquisition), animals were trained in a three-compartment shuttle box passive avoidance task. Twenty-fours later, the retention tests were performed. During the acquisition phase, animals that received CsA treatment significantly entered less in the shock-associated box than those that received vehicle alone. However, the mean total acquisition times between the two groups were not statistically significant. In the retention phase, CsA-treated animals displayed significantly longer latency to stay in the safe compartment compared to vehicle-treated animals. Histological analysis using ChAT immunostaining revealed sparing (80% of control) of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in CsA-treated animals. The use of CsA may prove beneficial for treatment of neurological disorders characterized by a dysfunctional cholinergic system.
Related Products: 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01)