Brief Communication: Spatial learning deficit and reduced hippocampal ChAT activity in rats after an ICV injection of streptozotocin

Arjan Blokland*, Jellemer Jolles

*Corresponding author for this work

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    Abstract

    ICV injections of streptozotocin (STREP) lower the glucose utilization of the brain and affect the cholinergic system. The present study was designed to evaluate whether STREP-treated rats have an impaired spatial discrimination performance in the Morris spatial navigation task. Performance in this task is sensitive to treatment with cholinergic antagonists. In contrast to young rats, middle-aged STREP-treated rats tended to have an impaired spatial discrimination performance in the Morris task at the end of training. In middle-aged STREP-treated rats, but not in control rats, spatial discrimination performance was associated with hippocampal choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity. The correlation between spatial discrimination performance in the Morris task and the decrease in hippocampal ChAT activity resembles the relation between cognitive and biochemical changes observed in Alzheimer's disease. Our findings suggest that STREP treatment of middle-aged rats may provide a relevant model for dementia.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)491-494
    Number of pages4
    JournalPharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior
    Volume44
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 1993

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