[Comparative study of the effect of 3 M-cholinergic blockaders on memory and motor activity in rats]

Experiments on rats were made to study and compare pharmacologically three central antimuscarinic drugs, namely scopolamine, N-methyl-4-piperidinol benzylate and tropine phenylcyclopentylglycolate. A study was made of the effects of the compounds on rat motor activity by the Animex system and on short-term memory by passive avoidance behavior. Logit analysis was employed to define the ED50 of the compounds that inhibit the arecoline-induced tremor. Definite differences were discovered in the effects of the antimuscarinic drugs on CNS functions. For example, M-methyl-4-piperidinol benzylate applied in a wide dosage range induced motor hyperactivity without affecting the short-term memory, whereas tropine phenylcyclopentylglycolate provoked motor hyperactivity and memory disorders at equal doses. As regards the doses producing both the effects, scopolamine occupied the intermediate position. No correlation was found between central antimuscarinic activity of the compounds under study and their influences on motor hyperactivity and formation of passive avoidance behavior.