EFFECTS OF PHENOBARBITAL ON SPATIAL LEARNING AND HIPPOCAMPAL NNOS MRNA IN EPILEPTIC RATS

ChenYH1, Wang L2

1 Dept. of Pediatrics, Union Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China

2 Dept. of Pediatrics, 1st Teaching Hospital of Beijing University, Bejing, China

 

Objective: To study the effects of phenobarbital (PB) on cognition in epileptic rats and involvement of NO signal pathway.

Methods: To investigate the effects of PB on spatial learning and the expression of nNOSmRNA in kainic acid (KA) rat model by Water maze test and RT-PCR, respectively.

Results: PB (60mg/kg, ip.) had exactly antiepileptic effects on KA-treated rats and no effects on the spatial cognition in the normal rats. But the KA-treated rats after PB administration showed more severe cognitive dysfunction than those without PB injection. The hippocampal nNOS mRNA expression was increased in rats with PB or KA treated. PB and KA had synergetic effects on nNOS mRNA expression. Lower dosage of 7-NI (10mg/kg,ip.) could decreased the nNOS mRNA lever and attenuate effectively cognitive disorders by PB (60mg/kg, ip.) in the rats with seizures.

Conclusion: NO signal pathway involved the effects of PB on cognitive function in KA model.

 
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