dihydroergotoxine and Amnesia

Amnesia is the most common adverse effect among patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy. In a double-blind pilot study, patients receiving bilateral ECT were pretreated with ergoloid mesylates (N = 5) or placebo (N = 5). Consistent with the hypothesis that ergoloid mesylates might protect against ECT-associated amnesia, nonsignificant trends on some memory tests showed better performance for patients receiving active treatment. Unexpectedly, patients treated with ergoloid mesylates had a significantly better antidepressant response.

Topics: Amnesia; Clinical Trials as Topic; Depressive Disorder; Dihydroergotoxine; Double-Blind Method; Electroconvulsive Therapy; Humans; Memory; Personality Inventory; Pilot Projects; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales

Amnesia can be induced in rats in the passive avoidance paradigm by administration of scopolamine, a central muscarinic receptor antagonist. Tacrine or galanthamine, inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase, given in conjunction with scopolamine partially reversed the scopolamine-induced deficit in passive avoidance performance. Four so-called cognitive enhancers, all widely used for the treatment of the symptoms associated with mental aging, cerebral insufficiency and senile memory disorder, were investigated in this paradigm. Piracetam, an extract of Ginkgo biloba, dihydroergocristine and a combination of raubasine with dihydroergocristine, all attenuated the amnesia induced by scopolamine. In contrast, nicergoline had no significant effect. Raubasine alone also failed to significantly attenuate scopolamine-induced amnesia, although some doses of raubasine had a non-significant tendency (P less than 0.10) to reduce the amnesia.

Topics: Amnesia; Animals; Avoidance Learning; Cognition; Dihydroergotoxine; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Galantamine; Ginkgo biloba; Male; Nicergoline; Piracetam; Plant Extracts; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Scopolamine; Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids; Tacrine; Yohimbine

Effects of Y-8894 on learning and memory were studied using a radial maze task in intact and scopolamine-induced amnesic mice. The following results were obtained: 1) Repeated administration of Y-8894 (1, 2.5 and 5 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly increased the number of initial correct responses (ICR) in the training session in intact mice, facilitating the learning of the maze task. Dihydroergotoxine (5 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly facilitated the learning of this task in the initial stage of the training session, but non-specifically inhibited the performance in the late stage of training. Ca-hopantenate did not modify the learning of this task. 2) A single administration of Y-8894 (2.5 or 5 mg/kg, i.p.) showed an antagonistic effect on scopolamine (1 mg/kg, s.c.)-induced amnesic mice. Dihydroergotoxine (5 mg/kg, i.p.) and Ca-hopantenate (500 mg/kg, i.p.) also significantly antagonized the ICR-decreasing effect of scopolamine. These results suggest that Y-8894 has an ameliorative and/or facilitative effect on learning and memory in the radial maze task, and Y-8894 is more potent than dihydroergotoxine and Ca-hopantenate.

Topics: Amnesia; Animals; Dihydroergotoxine; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; Learning; Memory; Mice; Morpholines; Pantothenic Acid; Scopolamine

Topics: Aged; Alzheimer Disease; Amnesia; Dihydroergotoxine; Humans; Prognosis

The ergot alkaloid Hydergine was tested for its ability to reverse an amnesia for approach-avoidance training. Thirsty mice were trained to drink in a test chamber and then punished with brief electric shocks for drinking. Those mice injected with the protein-synthesis inhibitor anisomycin immediately after training were amnesic for the shock when tested 48 h later. Pre-test injection of 10.0 or 1.0 mg/kg of Hydergine effectively reversed the amnesia while 0.1 mg/kg was ineffective. Non-contingent shock control groups ruled out the possibility that the effect was due to non-specific effects of the drug or training stimuli.

Topics: Amnesia; Animals; Anisomycin; Avoidance Learning; Dihydroergotoxine; Humans; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains