AF64A (ETHYLCHOLINE MUSTARD AZIRIDINIUM) IMPAIRS ACQUISITION AND PERFORMANCE OF A SPATIAL, BUT NOT A CUED WATER MAZE TASK - RELATION TO CHOLINERGIC HYPOFUNCTION

Citation
Kd. Opello et al., AF64A (ETHYLCHOLINE MUSTARD AZIRIDINIUM) IMPAIRS ACQUISITION AND PERFORMANCE OF A SPATIAL, BUT NOT A CUED WATER MAZE TASK - RELATION TO CHOLINERGIC HYPOFUNCTION, Physiology & behavior, 54(6), 1993, pp. 1227-1233
Citations number
27
Categorie Soggetti
Behavioral Sciences",Physiology
Journal title
ISSN journal
00319384
Volume
54
Issue
6
Year of publication
1993
Pages
1227 - 1233
Database
ISI
SICI code
0031-9384(1993)54:6<1227:A(MAIA>2.0.ZU;2-Z
Abstract
The cholinergic neurotoxin AF64A (ethylcholine mustard aziridinium) pr oduced alterations in a spatial but not a nonspatial cognitive task fo llowing ICV injection. AF64A impaired acquisition and performance in t he standard Morris water maze task, evidenced by significantly longer latencies to find the submerged platform. However, the AF64A group exh ibited shorter latencies and more direct paths to the target at the en d of training, which suggests acquisition of efficient search strategi es and a sparing of procedural memory. However, the AF64A group spent significantly less time in the target quadrant during the probe trial than the CSF group. This suggests a failure to learn the specific loca tion of the target and impaired declarative memory processes. In contr ast, AF64A did not affect performance of a cued MWM task that did not involve spatial memory processing, demonstrating the absence of motori c, sensory, or motivational impairments. The AF64A-induced behavioral deficits were associated with a) a significant decrease in high affini ty choline transport (HAChT), b) reduced concentrations of 5-HT and 5- HIAA, and c) an increased ratio of 5-HIAA/5HT in the HPC. There were n o changes in choline uptake in the gustatory cortex, the amygdala, or the striatum. Percent time in the target quadrant during the probe tri al was significantly correlated with HAChT in the HPC. There were no c orrelations between any of the behavioral measures and HAChT in the st riatum, gustatory cortex, or the amygdala, or between serotonergic or noradrenergic parameters in the HPC. These data suggest that AF64A pro duces cognitive deficits in spatial tasks that are correlated with the cholinergic hypofunction induced by the compound.