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A prospective study of severe hypoglycemia and long-term spatial memory in children with type 1 diabetes.

In a previous retrospective study, severe hypoglycemia (SH) was associated with decreased long-term spatial memory in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that prospectively ascertained SH would also be associated with decreased spatial long-term memory over time. Children with T1DM (n = 42) and sibling controls (n = 25) performed a spatial delayed response (SDR) task with short and long delays and other neuropsychological tests at baseline and after 15 months of monitoring. Extreme glycemic events and other medical complications were recorded prospectively during follow-up. Fourteen T1DM children experienced at least one episode of SH during the follow-up period (range = 1-5). After controlling for long-delay SDR performance at baseline, age, gender, and age of onset, the presence of SH during the prospective period was statistically associated with decreased long-delay SDR performance at follow-up (semipartial r = -0.38, p = 0.017). This relationship was not seen with short-delay SDR or with verbal or object memory, attention, or motor speed. These results, together with previously reported data, support the hypothesis that SH has specific, negative effects on spatial memory skills in T1DM children.

Case-Control Studies↗

Ameliorative effects of histamine on 7-chlorokynurenic acid-induced spatial memory deficits in rats.

RATIONALE: Histamine plays an important role in modulating acquisition and retention in learning and memory process in experimental animals. OBJECTIVES: We examined the effects of polyamine and histamine on the N-methyl- d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor glycine site antagonist 7-chlorokynurenic acid-induced spatial memory deficits in radial maze performance in rats. METHOD: Effects of histamine (0.5 or 1 nmol/site intracerebroventricularly), spermidine (1 nmol/site, intracerebroventricularly) and spermine (1 nmol/site, intracerebroventricularly) on spatial memory deficit in 9-week-old-male Wistar rats were observed. Both reference and working memory errors occurred in radial maze performance in rats, following intracerebroventricular injection of 7-chlorokynurenic acid (10 nmol/site). RESULTS: Spermidine (1 nmol/site, intracerebroventricularly) or spermine (1 nmol/site, intracerebroventricularly) antagonized 7-chlorokynurenic acid-induced deficits on working memory but not on reference memory errors. Intracerebroventricular histamine (0.5 or 1 nmol/site) or thioperamide (100 nmol/site) also ameliorated 7-chlorokynurenic acid-induced working memory deficits. To determine whether the effects of histamine involve histamine receptors, the effects of some methylhistamines were examined. The effects of R-alpha-methylhistamine on radial maze performance were mimicked by histamine. N(alpha)-methylhistamine had no effect on 7-chlorokynurenic acid-induced memory deficits, whereas 1-methylhistamine, but not 3-methylhistamine reversed 7-chlorokynurenic acid-induced working memory deficits. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the amelioration of 7-chlorokynurenic acid-induced working memory deficits by histamine may involve a direct action of histamine at the polyamine sites on NMDA receptors.

Animals↗

Angiotensin II and its 3-7 fragment improve recognition but not spatial memory in rats.

The effects of angiotensin II (AII), its 3-7 fragment [AII(3-7)] and the substituted 3-7 fragment [Leu-5,AII(3-7)] given intracerebroventricularly (ICV) at the dose of 1 nmole each, on spatial memory and recognition were tested. AII(3-7) increased while Leu-5,AII(3-7) slightly decreased session to session foot shock reinforced runtime to the goal in a complex 6 chamber maze. The animals treated with AII performed in the maze similarly to saline injected controls. Overall number of errors was unchanged in all peptide treated groups in comparison with the control group. Object recognition was significantly improved in all the peptide treated groups except for the Leu-5,AII(3-7) group. The results point to the facilitation of recognition and lack of influence on, or even attenuation of, spatial memory by AII and its 3-7 fragment. Leu-5,AII(3-7) caused similar though less pronounced effects.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

[Noopept improves the spatial memory and stimulates prefibrillar beta-amyloid(25-35) antibody production in mice].

The effects of the novel proline-containing nootropic and neuroprotective dipeptide noopept (GVS-111, N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester) were studied on NMRI mice upon olfactory bulbectomy, which had been previously shown to imitate the main morphological and biochemical signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The spatial memory was assessed using the Morris (water maze) test; the immunological status was characterized by ELISA with antibodies to prefibrillar beta-amyloid(25-35), S100b protein, and protofilaments of equine lysozyme, which are the molecular factors involved in the pathogenesis of AD. The control (sham-operated) animals during the Morris test preferred a sector where the safety platform was placed during the learning session. Bulbectomized animals treated with saline failed to recognize this sector, while bulbectomized animals treated with noopept (0.01 mg/kg for 21 days) restored this predominance, thus demonstrating the improvement of the spatial memory. These animals also demonstrated an increase in the level of antibodies to beta-amyloid(25-35)--the effect, which was more pronounced in the sham-operated than in bulbectomized mice. The latter demonstrated a profound decrease of immunological reactivity in a large number of tests. Noopept, stimulating the production of antibodies to beta-amyloid(25-35), can attenuate the well-known neurotoxic effects of beta-amyloid. The obtained data on the mnemotropic and immunostimulant effects noopept are indicative of good prospects for the clinical usage of this drug in the therapy of patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

Alzheimer Disease↗

CaMKII activation in the entorhinal cortex disrupts previously encoded spatial memory.

To investigate the role of the entorhinal cortex in memory at a molecular level, we developed transgenic mice in which transgene expression was inducible and limited to the superficial layers of the medial entorhinal cortex, pre- and parasubiculum. We found that expression of a constitutively active mutant form of CaMKII in these structures disrupted spatial memory formation. Immediate post-training activation of the transgene disrupted previously established memory while transgene activation 3 weeks following the training was ineffective. These results demonstrate that, similar to the hippocampus, the entorhinal cortex plays a time-limited role in spatial memory formation but is not a final cortical repository of long-term memory. Moreover, these results suggest that the indiscriminate activation of CaMKII is able to disrupt preexisting memories, possibly by altering the pattern of synaptic weight changes that are thought to form the basis of the memory trace.

Animals↗

Non-spatial memory after selective prefrontal lesions in monkeys.

Separate groups of monkeys were trained on delayed object alternation, delayed object matching, and delayed color matching, after which half the animals in each group received lesions of the cortex in the principal sulcus, and the other half, lesions of the inferior frontal convexity. The inferior convexity lesions produced severe and lasting impairments on all three tasks, perhaps as a result of the perseverative disorder that has been associated with damage to this region. By contrast, the principal sulcus lesions, which yield such severe deficits on spatial memory tasks, led to only small, transient disruptions on each of the three non-spatial tasks. According to these results, the non-spatial memory deficits that have been found after unrestricted lateral prefrontal lesions are due mainly to damage below the principal sulcus in the inferior prefrontal cortex. The function of the tissue in the principal sulcus itself, on the other hand, appears so far to be limited largely to the spatial modality.

Animals↗

Effect of acetyl-L-carnitine on hyperactivity and spatial memory deficits of rats exposed to neonatal anoxia.

The effect of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) on behavioral deficits following neonatal anoxia (N2 100% for 25 min at 30 h after birth) was studied in the rat. Transient hyperactivity at P20-P45 postnatal days and permanent spatial memory deficits were shown by anoxic rats. A chronic ALC treatment (50 mg/kg per die injected intraperitoneally from P2, after anoxia, to P60) significantly reduced the transient increase in sniffing, rearing and locomotory activity of anoxic rats, but, mostly, ameliorated the spatial memory performances in a maze at P30-P40 and in a water maze at P50-P60. No behavioral changes were seen in ALC-treated animals that received sham-exposure at birth. On the basis of these results, the use of ALC for the treatment of perinatal asphyctic insults in children is suggested.

Acetylcarnitine↗

Acute stress-induced impairment of spatial memory is associated with decreased expression of neural cell adhesion molecule in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.

BACKGROUND: There is an extensive literature describing how stress disturbs cognitive processing and can exacerbate psychiatric disorders. There is, however, an insufficient understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in stress effects on brain and behavior. METHODS: Rats were given spatial memory training in a hippocampus-dependent water maze task. We investigated how a fear-provoking experience (predator exposure) would affect their spatial memory and neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) levels in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex (PFC), amygdala, and cerebellum. RESULTS: Whereas the control (nonstress) group exhibited excellent memory for the hidden platform location in the water maze, the cat-exposed (stress) group exhibited a profound impairment of memory and a marked suppression of levels of the NCAM-180 isoform in the hippocampus. Predator stress produced a more global reduction of NCAM levels in the PFC but had no effect on NCAM levels in the amygdala and cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS: This work provides a novel perspective into dynamic and structure-specific changes in the molecular events involved in learning, memory, and stress. The selective suppression of NCAM-180 in the hippocampus and the more general suppression of NCAM in the PFC provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the great sensitivity of these two structures to be disturbed by stress.

Animals↗

Morphofunctional changes in neurons in the temporal cortex of the brain in relation to spatial memory in bulbectomized mice after treatment with mineral ascorbates.

The effects of an antioxidant mixture of mineral ascorbates (MA) on the state of neurons in the temporal area of the cortex and the behavior of mice subjected to bulbectomy (BE) were studied; these mice, as demonstrated previously, are characterized by deficiency of spatial memory and the development of a neurodegenerative process in brain structures showing pathological changes in Alzheimer's disease. One month after BE, there were abnormalities in the cytoarchitectonics of the temporal area of the cortex, with loss of clarity of the boundaries between its layers because of dystrophy of pyramidal neurons and foci of loss of these cells. There were sharp increases in the numbers of neurons showing pyknosis, karyolysis, and vacuolysis on the background of decreases in neuronal density. Three weeks of treatment by addition of MA to the diet prevented the degradation of spatial memory in mice after BE and protected neurons in the temporal area of the cortex from degenerative changes. These results provide evidence for the possibility of prophylaxis of neurodestructive changes of the Alzheimer's type.

Animals↗

Selective spatial memory impairment after right unilateral temporal lobectomy.

Deficits in performance of both spatial and visual tasks are common following tissue loss in the right temporal lobe. Since spatial and visual attributes are frequently confounded in experimental tasks, we have studied patients following unilateral temporal lobectomy, in an attempt to determine which aspect mediates the observed deficits. Spatial and visual memory performance was compared in normal controls (n = 16), left temporal (LTL; n = 19) and right temporal (RTL; n = 19) lobectomy patients, by presentation of eight abstract designs in a spatial array for subsequent recall and recognition of the designs (visual memory) and recall of their spatial position (spatial memory). By varying the retention intervals for each group, all three groups were matched on both recall and recognition of the designs at sub-ceiling levels. In contrast, recall of the position of the designs (spatial memory), tested at equivalent delays to those of the visual memory tests, revealed a deficit in the RTL patients compared to both controls and LTL patients (p < 0.05). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to quantify the extent of resection of the hippocampus and parahippocampal regions in the two patient groups and showed a significant correlation between hippocampal and parahippocampal removal and spatial memory in the RTL group only. These data support the notion of a disproportionately large involvement of the right hippocampus and adjacent regions in spatial memory.

Adult↗

Two spatial memories for honeybee navigation.

Insect navigation is thought to be based on an egocentric reference system which relates vector information derived from path integration to views of landmarks experienced en route and at the goal. Here we show that honeybees also possess an allocentric form of spatial memory which allows localization of multiple places relative to the intended goal, the hive. The egocentric route memory, which is called the specialized route memory (SRM) here, initially dominates navigation when an animal is first trained to a feeding site and then released at an unexpected site and this is why it is the only reference system detected so far in experiments with bees. However, the SRM can be replaced by an allocentric spatial memory called the general landscape memory (GLM). The GLM is directly accessible to the honeybee (and to the experimenter) if no SRM exists, for example, if bees were not trained along a route before testing. Under these conditions bees return to the hive from all directions around the hive at a speed comparable to that of an equally long flight along a trained route. The flexible use of the GLM indicates that bees may store relational information on places, connections between landmarks and the hive and/or views of landmarks from different directions and, thus, the GLM may have a graph structure, at least with respect to one goal, i.e. the hive.

Animals↗

Impaired retention of spatial memory after transection of longitudinally oriented axons of hippocampal CA3 pyramidal cells.

Longitudinally oriented axon collaterals of CA3 pyramidal cells may be critical for integrating distributed information in the hippocampus. To investigate the possible role of this pathway in the retention of spatial memory, we made a single transversely oriented cut through the dorsal CA3 region of each hippocampus. Although the lesion involved <3% of the hippocampal volume, it nonetheless disrupted memory retention in a water maze in preoperatively trained rats. New learning in a different water maze was attenuated. No significant impairment occurred in rats with longitudinally oriented cuts, or in animals with ibotenic acid-induced lesions of similar magnitude. To characterize the effect of a focal lesion on the integrity of longitudinally projecting axons, we stained degenerating cells and fibers in rats with unilateral CA3 transections by using FluoroJade-B. Degenerating terminals were seen across a wide region posterior to the cut, and were present in the strata of areas CA3 and CA1 that are innervated by CA3 pyramidal cells. These results suggest that the integrity of longitudinally oriented, translamellar axons of CA3 pyramidal cells may be necessary for efficient acquisition and retention of spatial memory.

Animals↗

Increased attention to spatial context increases both place field stability and spatial memory.

The hippocampal formation is critical for the acquisition and consolidation of memories. When recorded in freely moving animals, hippocampal pyramidal neurons fire in a location-specific manner: they are "place" cells, comprising a hippocampal representation of the animal's environment. To explore the relationship between place cells and spatial memory, we recorded from mice in several behavioral contexts. We found that long-term stability of place cell firing fields correlates with the degree of attentional demands and that successful spatial task performance was associated with stable place fields. Furthermore, conditions that maximize place field stability greatly increase orientation to novel cues. This suggests that storage and retrieval of place cells is modulated by a top-down cognitive process resembling attention and that place cells are neural correlates of spatial memory. We propose a model whereby attention provides the requisite neuromodulatation to switch short-term homosynaptic plasticity to long-term heterosynaptic plasticity, and we implicate dopamine in this process.

Animals↗

Distributed encoding and retrieval of spatial memory in the hippocampus.

To determine whether memory is processed in a localized or distributed manner by the hippocampus, we inactivated small regions of the structure in pretrained rats before a retention test. Ibotenic acid-induced lesions removing 40% of the hippocampal tissue disrupted retrieval of spatial memory in a water maze but failed to affect new learning or retrieval of a task that was acquired postoperatively. Partial inactivation of the hippocampus by local intrahippocampal 5-aminomethyl-3-hydroxyisoxazole muscimol infusion also impaired retrieval but not new learning. This impairment was temporary; infusions had no effect on retrieval of predrug performance when the test was conducted 48 hr after the infusion. Systematic variation of the volume of dorsal and ventral hippocampal lesions showed that successful retrieval required the integrity of the entire dorsal 70% of the hippocampus. Our data suggest that although spatial tasks can be acquired with local ensembles of hippocampal neurons when other parts of the hippocampus are inactivated, spatial memory is normally both encoded and retrieved by a widely distributed hippocampal network.

Animals↗

Spatial memory impairment in rats with fornix transection is not accompanied by a simple encoding deficit for directions of objects in visual space.

In Experiment 1, rats learned 6 discriminations among pairs of complex wide-angle visual displays, presented concurrently, using a computer-controlled Y maze. Fornix-transected rats were unimpaired relative to controls regardless of whether the displays comprised a single large "objectlike" figure or "scenelike" arrays of spatially distributed figures. Experiment 2 compared 2 versions of a visual discrimination in which either object identity (independent of location within the visual field) or location within the visual field (independent of object identity) had to be used. The fornix-transected rats performed normally with either cue. In Experiment 3, however, the same group was clearly impaired on a standard spatial memory test, spatial delayed nonmatching to sample. Although the fornix-transected rats were more likely to choose rapidly and inaccurately, their deficit was not a by-product of impulsive responding. The spatial impairment was not merely a difficulty in encoding direction of a single item within visual space, but more complex configural deficits could not be ruled out.

Animals↗

Increased mortality and spatial memory deficits in TNF-alpha-deficient mice in ceftriaxone-treated experimental pneumococcal meningitis.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is critically involved in inflammation and may participate in hippocampal injury in bacterial meningitis. In a mouse model of ceftriaxone-treated pneumococcal meningitis, spatial memory and motor performance of TNF-alpha-deficient (n = 57) and control mice (n = 55) were investigated. After infection, therapy was initiated with ceftriaxone (100 mg/kg twice daily for 5 days). Sixty-three percent TNF-alpha-deficient mice and 40% control animals died within 6 days (Fisher's exact test: P = 0.02). TNF-alpha-deficient mice surviving pneumococcal meningitis took substantially longer to reach the hidden platform than controls, and the distance of swim tracks was longer (P = 0.02). The swim speed in both groups was similar (P = 0.59). The proliferation of dentate granule cells was lower in TNF-alpha-deficient than in wild-type mice (P = 0.03). In pneumococcal meningitis, TNF-alpha deficiency caused increased mortality and stronger deficits in spatial memory possibly due to impaired neurogenesis.

Animals↗

Chronic phosphatidylserine treatment improves spatial memory and passive avoidance in aged rats.

Learning/memory deficits in senescent animals are widely used as a tool to evaluate the therapeutic potential of agents for treatment of age-associated cognitive dysfunction. As assessed in the Morris water maze test, aged (21-24 months) rats showed a variable loss of spatial memory. Aged non-impaired rats performed as well as young subjects, while aged impaired rats exhibited a severe and persistent place-navigation deficit. Passive avoidance retention was similarly affected in the two aged subpopulations. Chronic oral administration of phosphatidylserine (50 mg/kg/day for up to 12 weeks), a pharmacologically active phospholipid, was found to improve both the spatial memory and the passive avoidance retention of aged impaired rats. Results are discussed with reference to the phosphatidylserine-induced improvement of age-associated deterioration of brain functions in rats.

Aging↗

Effect of humanin analogues on experimentally induced impairment of spatial memory in rats.

Humanin and its analogues have been shown to protect cells against death induced by various Alzheimer's disease genes and amyloid-beta-peptides in vitro: the analogue [Gly14]-humanin has also been shown to be potent in reversing learning and memory impairment induced by scopolamine in mice in vivo. It is important to validate these results by using other behavioral methods. In this study, the effect of [Gly14]-humanin and des-Leu-PAGA, another analogue (0.2 micromol kg(-1), i.p.) on the 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate-induced (2 mg kg(-1), i.p.) impairment of spatial memory in the multiple T-maze in rats has been evaluated. Both peptides reversed the impairment of spatial memory. These results indicate the potential of humanin analogues in modulation of the cholinergic system.

Amino Acid Sequence↗