1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine and Dementia

1-Palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPhtCho) (1 microM) enhanced long-term depression (LTD), a synaptic plasticity relevant to learning and memory, in the CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices, where expression of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit GluR1 on the plasma membrane was decreased. In the water maze test, oral administration with POPhtCho (5 mg/kg) significantly shortened the prolonged retention latency for rats intraperitoneally injected with scopolamine (1 mg/kg), while the acquisition latency was not affected. For humans with mild cognitive impairment and dementia (average of Mini Mental State Examination score, 18), oral intake with POPhtCho (300 mg/day, once after breakfast) everyday raised the score to over 20, corresponding to normal cognitive functions, throughout 6 months after intake. The results of the present study, thus, indicate that POPhtCho could ameliorate cognitive disorders, possibly by enhancing LTD.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Animals; Central Nervous System Agents; Cognition Disorders; Dementia; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials; Female; Hippocampus; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Long-Term Synaptic Depression; Male; Maze Learning; Middle Aged; Phosphatidylcholines; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, AMPA