ABSTRACT
Haloperidol decanoate (HD) has been implicated in cognitive impairment. Agomelatine (AGO) has been claimed to improve cognition. We aimed at investigating the effects of HD + low- or high-dose AGO on cognition, verifying the melatonergic/dopaminergic to the cholinergic hypothesis of cognition and exploring relevant cardiovascular issues in adult male Wistar albino rats. HD + high-dose AGO prolonged the step-through latency by +61.47% (P < 0.0001), increased the time spent in bright light by +439.49% (P < 0.0001), reduced the time spent in dim light by -66.25% (P < 0.0001), and increased the percent of alternations by +71.25% (P < 0.0001), despite the reductions in brain acetylcholine level by -10.67% (P < 0.0001). Neurodegeneration was minimal, while the mean power frequency of the source wave was reduced by -23.39% (P < 0.05). Concurrently, the relative expression of brain melatonin type 2 receptors was reduced by -18.75% (P < 0.05), against increased expressions of dopamine type 5 receptors by +22.22% (P < 0.0001) and angiopoietin-like 4 by +119.18% (P < 0.0001). Meanwhile, electrocardiogram (ECG) demonstrated inverted P wave, reduced P wave duration by -36.15% (P < 0.0001) and PR interval by -19.91% (P < 0.0001), prolonged RR interval by +27.97% (P < 0.05), increased R wave amplitude by +523.15% (P < 0.0001), and a depressed ST segment and inverted T wave. In rats administered AGO, HD, or HD+ low-dose AGO, Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like neuropathologic features were more evident, accompanied by extensive ECG and neurochemical alterations. HD + high-dose AGO enhances cognition but alters cardiac electrophysiology. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Given the issue of cognitive impairment associated with HD and the claimed cognitive-enhancing activity of AGO, combined high-dose AGO with HD improved cognition of adult male rats, who exhibited minimal neurodegenerative changes. HD+ high-dose AGO was relatively safe regarding triggering epileptogenesis, while it altered cardiac electrophysiology. In the presence of low acetylcholine, the melatonergic/dopaminergic hypothesis, added to angiopoietin-like 4 and Krüppel-like factor 9, could offer some clue, thus offering novel targets for pharmacologic manipulation of cognition.