Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026
Novel Object Recognition Test for the Investigation of Learning and Memory in Mice
Published on: August 30, 2017
Selective PDE inhibitors rolipram and sildenafil improve object retrieval performance in adult cynomolgus macaques
K Rutten1, J L Basile, J Prickaerts
1Department of Neuroscience, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. k.rutten@np.unimaas.nl
Rationale:
Selective phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors improve the formation of hippocampus-dependent memories in several rodent models of cognition. However, studies evaluating the effects of PDE inhibition on prefrontal cortex-dependent cognition and in monkeys are rare.
Objectives:
The present study investigates the effect of the PDE4 inhibitor rolipram and the PDE5 inhibitor sildenafil on object retrieval performance. Object retrieval is a prefrontal cortical-mediated task, which is likely to capture attention and response inhibition.
Materials And Methods:
The ability to retrieve a food reward from a clear box with an open side positioned in various orientations was assessed in adult male cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).
Results:
Rolipram (0.003-0.03 mg/kg, intramuscular [i.m.]) and sildenafil (0.3-3 mg/kg, i.m.) dose-dependently increased correct first reaches during difficult trials, reaching significance at 0.01 and 1 mg/kg, respectively. For both drugs, correct reaches were increased approximately 20%; that is, performance was improved from approximately 50 to approximately 70% correct.
Conclusions:
Both rolipram and sildenafil improved object retrieval performance, thus demonstrating the cognition-enhancing effects of PDE inhibition on a prefrontal task of executive function in monkeys.
