Clitoria ternatea root extract enhances acetylcholine content in rat hippocampus.

Treatment with 100 mg/kg of Clitoria ternatea aqueous root extract (CTR), for 30 days in neonatal and young adult age groups of rat, significantly increased acetylcholine (ACh) content in their hippocampi as compared to age matched controls. Increase in ACh content in their hippocampus may be the neurochemical basis for their improved learning and memory.

Clitoria ternatea (Linn) root extract treatment during growth spurt period enhances learning and memory in rats.

Neonatal rat pups (7 days old) were intubated with either 50 mg/kg body weight or 100 mg/kg body weight of aqueous root extract of Clitoria ternatea (CTR) for 30 days. These rats were then subjected to open field, two compartment passive avoidance and spatial learning (T-Maze) tests (i) immediately after the treatment and (ii) 30 days after the treatment, along with age matched normal and saline control rats. Results showed no change in open field behaviour, but showed improved retention and spatial learning performance at both time points of behavioural tests, indicating the memory enhancing property of CTR which implicates a permanent change in the brain of CTR treated rats.

A rare complication of hardware failure in neurostimulation. Report of two cases.

The authors report on a rare complication of neurostimulation. Two patients presented with a skin rash after undergoing neurostimulator implantation, and the implants were found to have faulty electrical insulation. The rash was centered over the source of current leak and disappeared when the problem was corrected.

Alpha-helical CRF blocks differential influence of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) on appetitive and aversive memory retrieval in rats.

This study examined whether corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), given prior to test, would produce an improved retrieval of aversive memory in the same way as pre-exposure to inescapable footshocks and the CRF antagonist, alpha-helical CRF 9-41 (a-h CRF), blocks this effect in rats. For this purpose animals conditioned in a T-maze with appetitive (10% sucrose) and aversive (2.0mA footshock) events were given intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) 20 min before testing, a single dose of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 or 0.4 microgram/rat of CRF, or 5 micrograms/rat of a-h CRF, or both at 10 min interval. In the retention test conducted with the same training apparatus 72-hr after conditioning, CRF (0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 microgram) treated rats showed a dose-dependent increase in latencies to enter the previously shocked goalarm, with the absence of such a difference in responding to the nonshocked goalarm. The highest dose of CRF (0.4 microgram), however, increased the latencies to enter both the goalboxes. Alpha-helical CRF, administered 10 min before, antagonized the memory-enhancing effect of CRF. Further, CRF (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 microgram) significantly decreased the total number of center entries in the open field, consistent with the view that i.c.v. administered CRF produces "anxiogenic-like" effect. Alpha-helical CRF reversed this effect. The effect of CRF on memory retrieval was similar to that seen following inescapable footshock in rats. The results thus suggest the possible involvement of central CRF mechanisms in the differential enhancement of memory of helplessness condition.

Effects of Celastrus paniculatus on passive avoidance performance and biogenic amine turnover in albino rats.

The effects of an indigenous drug, Celastrus oil, extracted from the seeds of Celastrus paniculatus on learning and memory in a two compartment passive avoidance task was studied in albino rats. The effects on the contents of norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) in the brain and on the levels of their metabolites both in the brain and urine were also assessed. Significant improvement was observed in the retention ability of the drug treated rats compared with the saline administered controls. The contents of NE, DA and 5-HT and their metabolites in the brain were significantly decreased in the drug treated group. The urinary metabolite levels were also significantly decreased except for total 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl glycol. These data indicate that Celastrus oil causes an overall decrease in the turnover of all the three central monoamines and implicate the involvement of these aminergic systems in the learning and memory process.

Effects of Nardostachys jatamansi on biogenic amines and inhibitory amino acids in the rat brain.

The effect of acute and subchronic administration of an alcoholic extract of the roots of Nardostachys jatamansi on norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and taurine were studied in male albino Wistar rats. The acute oral administration of the extract did not change the level of NE and DA but resulted in a significant increase in the level of 5-HT and 5-HIAA. A significant increase in the level of GABA and taurine was observed in the drug-treated groups when compared to the controls. A 15-day treatment resulted in a significant increase in the levels of NE, DA, 5-HT, 5-HIAA, and GABA. These data indicate that the alcoholic extract of the roots of N. jatamansi causes an overall increase in the levels of central monoamines and inhibitory amino acids.