Enhancement of Intermediate-Term Memory by an Alpha-1 Agonist or a Partial Agonist at the Glycine Site of the NMDA Receptor

Previous Stress Attenuates the Susceptibility to Midazolam's Disruptive Effect on Fear Memory Reconsolidation: Influence of Pre-Reactivation D-Cycloserine Administration

“…A growing body of data supports the view that DCS facilitates the formation of extinction memory (Ledgerwood et al, 2003;Walker et al, 2002;Yamamoto et al, 2008); moreover, DCS facilitates learning and memory using a variety of learning paradigms in diverse animal species (Land and Riccio, 1999;Matsuoka and Aigner, 1996;Monahan et al, 1989;Pitkänen et al, 1995;Pussinen et al, 1997;Quartermain et al, 1994;Thompson et al, 1992). Our findings showed that DCS administration did not affect freezing during reactivation under the present treatment protocol as comparable levels of fear were observed between DCS-and SAL-treated animals, regardless whether animals were subjected to a threatening event before learning.…”

A Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Drug Interaction Study of Acamprosate and Naltrexone

“…Recent evidence suggests that acamprosate may act as a partial co-agonist at the NMDA receptor (Naassila et al 1998;al Qatari et al 1998). The acamprosate cognitive data are consistent with pre-clinical and human studies that show d-cycloserine, a partial agonist of the glycine site on the NMDA receptor, did not affect acquisition of new learning, but did improve performance during the retention phase of tasks Pussinen et al 1997;Tsai et al 1999;Wesnes et al 1991).The cognitive findings in the present study are unlikely to be accounted for by the intrusion of side effects, given that side effects did not differ across groups, and 94% were rated as mild in severity. Rather, the different pharmacodynamic profiles of acamprosate and naltrexone found on cognitive testing support the view that these drugs operate via different neural pathways and mechanisms.…”

“…Recent evidence suggests that acamprosate may act as a partial co-agonist at the NMDA receptor (Naassila et al 1998;al Qatari et al 1998). The acamprosate cognitive data are consistent with pre-clinical and human studies that show d-cycloserine, a partial agonist of the glycine site on the NMDA receptor, did not affect acquisition of new learning, but did improve performance during the retention phase of tasks Pussinen et al 1997;Tsai et al 1999;Wesnes et al 1991).…”

Long-Term α1A-Adrenergic Receptor Stimulation Improves Synaptic Plasticity, Cognitive Function, Mood, and Longevity

“…Some studies suggest that ␣ 1 ARs inhibit memory consolidation in chicks (Gibbs and Summers, 2001) and impair spatial memory after infusion of ␣ 1 AR agonists in monkeys and rats Mao et al, 1999). In contrast, other studies suggest that ␣ 1 ARs facilitated spatial and intermediate-term memory in rats (Pussinen et al, 1997;Puumala et al, 1998). These discrepancies could be due to species-specific functions of ␣ 1 ARs, the use of high doses of nonselective ligands, differing modes of administration, and improper pharmacological technique.…”