BIOGENIC MONOAMINE UPTAKE BY RAT-BRAIN SYNAPTOSOMES DURING AGING - EFFECTS OF NOOTROPIC DRUGS

1. In experiments on young (3-5-month-old), adult (10-11-month-old) an d old (21-22-month-old) rats, it was found that significant age-relate d changes occurred in the high-affinity uptake of dopamine (DA), norad renaline (NA) and serotonin (5-HT) by cortical and striatal synaptosom es. 2. Changes in DA, NA and 5-HT uptake during aging are suggested to be neurochemical correlates of cognition and memory deficits that dev elops in senescence.3. The in vitro effects of the nootropic drugs pir acetam, aniracetam, meclofenoxate and adafenoxate on the DA, NA and 5- HT uptake by cortical and striatal synaptosomes from young rats were s tudied. Administered in increasing concentrations (1 x 10(-4) to 5 x 1 0(-3) M) these drugs inhibited monoamine uptake. 4. Adafenoxate proved to be a more potent monoamine uptake inhibitor than the other three d rugs; it inhibited the uptake in the frontal cortex and striatum witho ut selectivity for either monoaminergic system. It is suggested that a dafenoxate affects cognition through the involvement of central neurot ransmission and particularly through the inhibition of monoamine uptak e systems.