Effects of nicotine on memory impairment induced by blockade of muscarinic, nicotinic and dopamine D2 receptors in rats

Scopolamine dose-dependently inhibits passive avoidance latency and decreases spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze, suggesting effects on long-term and short-term memory, respectively. Chlorisondamine (10 mg/kg), a compound which produces a long-lasting central nicotinic receptor blockade, did not affect short-term and long-term memory performance. In normal rats, nicotine at the doses of 0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 mg/ kg administered once had a facilitating effect on short-term memory; a higher dose (3.0 mg/kg) did not show a more pronounced effect than a lower one (0.3 mg/kg). Nicotine, by activating the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, attenuated the impairment of short-term memory induced by muscarinic or dopamine D2 receptor blockade. On long-term memory, a single dose of nicotine (0.3, 1.0, 3.0 mg/kg) did not affect memory performance, but improved it after chronic (10 consecutive days, 0.3 mg/kg) administration. The antiamnesic effect of nicotine administered once was observed in scopolamine-, scopolamine + chlorisondamine- or sulpiride-treated rats. These results suggest that the antiamnesic effect of nicotine can result from an action at nicotinic receptors subtypes not blocked by chlorisondamine or at nonnicotinic receptors. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.