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Related Experiment Videos

Nitric oxide synthase inhibition does not impair visual or spatial discrimination learning

J R Tobin1, L K Gorman, M G Baxter

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.

Brain Research
|October 2, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Nitric oxide (NO) does not appear to be involved in learning visual or spatial tasks. However, inhibiting NO synthase may influence cholinergic activity in the brain.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Neuropharmacology

Background:

  • Nitric oxide (NO) is implicated as a retrograde messenger in synaptic plasticity.
  • NO signaling is interconnected with the brain's cholinergic system.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of NO in acquiring visual and spatial discrimination tasks.
  • To assess the impact of NO synthase inhibition on cholinergic markers.

Main Methods:

  • Rats were administered saline or 1-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an NO synthase inhibitor.
  • Assessed NO synthase activity, hemicholinium-3 (HC-3) binding, and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity in brain tissue.

Main Results:

  • L-NAME significantly reduced NO synthase activity (85%) and cholinergic markers HC-3 binding (hippocampus 38%, posterior cortex 48%).

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  • No significant differences in the acquisition rate of visual or spatial discriminations were observed between groups.
  • Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity remained unchanged across all brain regions.

    • Conclusions:

    • Nitric oxide (NO) does not appear to play a critical role in the learning of visual and spatial discrimination tasks.
    • Inhibition of NO synthase by L-NAME may modulate presynaptic cholinergic activity, specifically choline uptake sites.