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Abstract: Traditionally, the search for memory circuits has been centered on examinations of amnesic and AD patients, cerebral lesions and, neuroimaging. A complementary alternative might be the use of autoradiography with radioligands. Indeed, ex vivo autoradiographic studies offer the advantage to detect functionally active receptors altered by pharmacological tools and memory formation. Hence, herein the 5-HT6 receptor antagonist SB-399885 and the amnesic drugs scopolamine or dizocilpine were used to manipulate memory consolidation and 5-HT6 receptors expression was determined by using [3H]-SB-258585. Thus, memory consolidation was impaired in scopolamine and dizocilpine treated groups relative to control vehicle but improved it in SB-399885-treated animals. SB-399885 improved memory consolidation seems to be associated with decreased 5-HT6 receptors expression in 15 out 17 brain areas. Scopolamine or dizocilpine decreased 5-HT6 receptors expression in nine different brain areas and increased it in CA3 hippocampus or other eight areas, respectively. In brain areas thought to be in charge of procedural memory such basal ganglia (i.e., nucleus accumbens, caudate putamen, and fundus striate) data showed that relative to control animals amnesic groups showed diminished (scopolamine) or augmented (dizocilpine) 5-HT6 receptor expression. SB-399885 showing improved memory displayed an intermediate expression in these same brain regions. A similar intermediate expression occurs with regard to amygdala, septum, and some cortical areas in charge of explicit memory storage. However, relative to control group amnesic and SB-399885 rats in the hippocampus, region where explicit memory is formed, showed a complex 5-HT6 receptors expression. In conclusion, these results indicate neural circuits underlying the effects of 5-HT6 receptor antagonists in autoshaping task and offer some general clues about cognitive processes in general. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rationale: It has been reported that 5-HT1A receptors modulate learning and memory and diverse pharmacological and genetic evidence supports this notion. Nevertheless, there are few works about expression of these receptors during memory formation. Objective: We aimed to determine 5-HT1A receptor expression in brain areas of untrained, passive, and autoshaping trained groups of rats. Methods: Ex vivo receptor autoradiography using the ligand agonist [³H]8-hydroxy-2-[di-n-propylamino]tetralin] (8-OH-DPAT) was used. Results: The trained group relative to untrained animals showed increases of 5-HT1A receptor expression in 14 brain areas, decrements in 7, and no changes in 12. Thus, in contrast to untrained rats, 5-HT1A receptor expression of autoshaping trained rats was augmented in the tubercule olfactory, septal nucleus, nucleus accumbens, caudate putamen, globus pallidus, striate, and parietal (1 and 2), temporal cortex (1 and 3), granular retrosplenial cortex (1), amygdala, and median and dorsal raphe nuclei. In contrast, in the latter group, receptors were decreased in the CA1 area, hypothalamus dorsal, frontal cortex (1 and 3), occipital cortex, cingulate cortex (1 and 2), and cuneiform nucleus. There were significant differences between passive vs trained groups, but not regarding untrained rats, in the lateral olfactory tract, dentate gyrus, CA3 area, ventromedial hypothalamic, lateral hypothalamus, preoptic medial, frontal cortex (2), granular retrosplenial cortex (2), entorhinal cortex (1 and 2), piriform cortex, and substantia nigra. Conclusions: These data suggest that upregulated, downregulated, and "silence" of 5-HT1A receptors in brain areas form part of neural circuits engaged in memory formation by demonstrating a high degree of specificity and memory mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pharmacological evidence indicates a specific role of 5-HT4 receptors on memory function. These receptors are members of G-protein-coupled 7-transmembrane domain receptor superfamily, are positively coupled to adenylyl cyclase, and are heterogeneously located in some structures important for memory, such as the hippocampus and cortical regions. To further clarify 5-HT4 receptors'' role in memory, the expression of these receptors in passive (P3) untrained and autoshaping (A3) trained (3 sessions) adult (3 months) and old (P9 or A9; 9 months) male rats was determined by autoradiography. Adult trained (A3) rats showed a better memory respect to old trained (A9). Using [3H] GR113808 as ligand (0.2 nM specific activity 81 Ci/mmol) for 5-HT4 receptor expression, 29 brain areas were analyzed, 16 areas of A3 and 17 of A9 animals displayed significant changes. The medial mammillary nucleus of A3 group showed diminished 5-HT4 receptor expression, and in other 15 brain areas of A3 or 10 of A9 animals, 5-HT4 receptors were increased. Thus, for A3 rats, 5-HT4 receptors were augmented in olfactory lobule, caudate putamen, fundus striatum, CA2, retrosplenial, frontal, temporal, occipital, and cingulate cortex. Also, 5-HT4 receptors were increased in olfactory tubercule, hippocampal CA1, parietal, piriform, and cingulate cortex of A9. However, hippocampal CA2 and CA3 areas, and frontal, parietal, and temporal cortex of A9 rats, expressed less 5-HT4 receptors. These findings suggest that serotonergic activity, via 5-HT4 receptors in hippocampal, striatum, and cortical areas, mediates memory function and provides further evidence for a complex and regionally specific regulation over 5-HT receptor expression during memory formation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) system displays more than 14 receptors subtypes on brain areas involved in learning and memory processes, and pharmacological manipulation of specific receptors selectively affects memory formation. In order to begin the search of 5-HT receptors expression during memory formation, in this work, we aimed to determine, by autoradiography (using [3H] 5-HT as ligand, 2 nM, specific activity 123 Ci/mmol), 5-HT receptors (5-HTR) expression in passive (untrained) and autoshaping trained (3 sessions) adult (3 months) and old (9 months) male rats. Thus, trained adult rats had better retention than old animals. Raphe nuclei of adult and old trained rats expressed less receptors on medial and dorsal, respectively. Hippocampal CA1 area and dentate gyrus of adult trained rats expressed less 5-HTR, while dentate gyrus of old increased them. Basomedial amygdaloid nucleus in old trained rats expressed more 5-HTR; while in the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus they were augmented in both groups. Training decreased or did not change 5-HTR in caudate-putamen of adult or old animals. The above profile of 5-HTR expression is consistent with previous reports, and suggests that memory formation and aging modulates 5-HTR expression in brain areas relevant to memory systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Animals were submitted to an associative learning task named Pavlovian/instrumental autoshaping (P/I-A) and treated with selective 5-HT1A and 5-HT7 receptor agonists and antagonists. Next, they were sacrificed, their brains removed, dissected and changes on cortical and hippocampal cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production were determined. Results revealed that, the 8-OH-DPAT treatment facilitated memory consolidation of autoshaping and that effect was blocked completely by WAY100635 and partially by DR4004. WAY100635 or DR4004 alone had no effect on autoshaping. The cAMP results were complex and yielded no clear relationship to the memory results. Thus, cortical and hippocampal increased on cAMP production was observed following administration of the 5-HT1A/7 agonist 8-OH-DPAT. The memory effect was, completely or partially, reversed by the selective antagonists WAY100635 (5-HT1A) or DR4004 (5-HT7), respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]