Jj. Waite et Lj. Thal, LESIONS OF THE CHOLINERGIC NUCLEI IN THE RAT BASAL FOREBRAIN - EXCITOTOXINS VS AN IMMUNOTOXIN, Life sciences, 58(22), 1996, pp. 1947-1953
Citations number
31
Categorie Soggetti
Biology,"Medicine, Research & Experimental","Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Infusion of the excitotoxins, ibotenic acid, quisqualic acid, or AMPA,
into the medial septal nucleus, diagonal band, and the nucleus basali
s magnocellularis of rats produced less cholinergic cell loss as asses
sed by choline acetyltransferase activity in the projection fields, co
rtex and hippocampus, than that obtainable by intraventricular adminis
tration of the immunotoxin, 192 IgG-saporin. All excitotoxins produced
reductions in tissue levels of some monoamines, while no decreases we
re found for the immunotoxin. All toxins produced acquisitional impair
ment in the hidden platform water maze. This behavioral deficit was sl
ightly greater for the excitotoxic-lesioned rats than for those given
192 IgG-saporin at a dose which produced ChAT depletions similar to th
e most potent excitotoxin (AMPA). This supports the idea that some of
the behavioral effects produced by excitotoxic lesions are due to the
cholinergic basal forebrain lesion and some are due to noncholinergic
damage.