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Memantine facilitates memory consolidation and reconsolidation in the day-old chick
Jodi R Samartgis1, Leslie Schachte, Agnes Hazi
1School of Psychological Science, Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia. jrsamartgis@students.latrobe.edu.au
Abstract:
Memantine is a non-competitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist that has been approved for the treatment of the cognitive deficits noted in Alzheimer's disease. While there is a body of research that supports memantine's facilitative action upon memory compromise, this series of studies aimed to investigate the effects of this drug in healthy animals with intact memory functioning. A 0.1 mM dose of memantine injected immediately after a weakly aversive training event (i.e. 20% v/v methyl anthranilate) was found to enhance passive avoidance learning for this event in day-old chicks up to 24 h following training. The same dose of memantine was also observed to enhance memory for the training event when it was administered in conjunction with a reminder trial. These results suggest that memantine is capable of facilitating both memory consolidation as well as memory reconsolidation. It was concluded that memantine's mechanism may involve the short-term or intermediate memory phases of the Gibbs and Ng model of memory, and that the current findings represent enhancement of intact memory, rather than amelioration of memory compromise.
Insights
Memantine, an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, enhances memory in healthy animals. This study shows memantine improves memory consolidation and reconsolidation in young chicks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Memantine is approved for Alzheimer's disease cognitive deficits.
- Research supports memantine's role in improving compromised memory.
- This study explores memantine's effects on intact memory in healthy subjects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of memantine on memory in healthy animals.
- To determine if memantine enhances memory consolidation and reconsolidation.
- To explore the potential mechanisms of memantine's action on memory.
Main Methods:
- Administered a 0.1 mM dose of memantine to day-old chicks post-aversive training.
- Utilized a passive avoidance learning task with methyl anthranilate.
- Tested memory enhancement with and without a reminder trial.
Main Results:
- Memantine significantly enhanced passive avoidance learning up to 24 hours post-training.
- Memantine improved memory recall when administered with a reminder trial.
- Findings indicate memantine facilitates both memory consolidation and reconsolidation.
Conclusions:
- Memantine can enhance intact memory, not just ameliorate deficits.
- The drug's mechanism may involve short-term or intermediate memory phases.
- Results suggest potential applications beyond cognitive impairment treatment.
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