Cholinergic mechanisms in the learning and memory facilitating effect of caffeine

Experiments are made to train rats in a maze involving memory tests 24 hours and 14 days after training. As it was established in previous studies of the authors, caffeine introduced in low doses (5 mg/kg) 5 min before training facilitates learning and memory. Applied immediately after training, caffeine even in higher doses (20 mg/kg) also improves the memory indices 24 hours and 14 days after the experiment. The anticholinergic agents spasmolytine and scopolamine in higher doses (20 and 2 mg/kg respectively) have a markedly deteriorating effect on learning, while scopolamine deteriorates retention as well. Introduced after training, both drugs deteriorate memory even in smaller doses - 2 and 0,25 mg/kg, respectively. On the background of the anticholinergic agents (especially in the higher doses), the learning and memory facilitating effects of caffeine are not manifested in any of the experimental setups (administration before and after train. The results obtained show that cholinergic mechanisms play an important role in the learning and memory facilitating effect of caffeine. A necessary condition for the manifestation of this effect is the optimum functional level of these cholinergic mechanisms in the central nervous system.