The inhibitory effect of levo-tetrahydropalmatine on the methamphetamine-induced spatial memory impairment in mice

Publication date: 13 April 2018 Source:Neuroscience Letters, Volume 672 Author(s): Guofen Cao, Yongai Zhang, Li Zhu, Jie Zhu, Na Zhao, Nan Dong, Yonghui Dang, Yanjiong Chen, Teng Chen Methamphetamine (METH) administration results in addiction and memory impairment. Previous studies have suggested that levo-tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP), an alkaloid purified from the Chinese herb Corydalis, attenuates the behavioral changes induced by METH. Therefore, in this study, we explored whether l-THP could also protect against the METH-induced memory impairment examined using the Morris water maze (MWM). We found that low dose of METH (1.0 mg/kg) treated for 20 consecutive days prior to the MWM experiment impaired spatial memory retention but not acquisition in mice. In addition, high dose of METH (10.0 mg/kg) treated during the spatial learning phase for five consecutive days impaired both the acquisition and retention of spatial memory. Moreover, both of these impairments induced by METH were reversed by l-THP treatment, indicating a potential protective role of l-THP in METH use.
Source: Neuroscience Letters - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research