Modulatory Effects of Memantine on Neuronal Response Properties in Rat Barrel Cortex

• Published in: Basic and clinical neuroscience Vol. 12; no. 6; pp. 721 - 728
• Main Authors: Nasiri, Mahin, Kaeidi, Ayat, Fatemi, Iman, Azin, Mahdieh, Bannazadeh, Mahboobeh, Allahtavakoli, Mohammad, Roohbakhsh, Ali, Shamsizadeh, Ali
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iran Negah Scientific Publisher 01.11.2021; Iranian Neuroscience Society; Iran University of Medical Sciences
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Aspartic acid; Cortex (barrel); Cortex (somatosensory); electrophysiology; Glutamic acid receptors; Glutamic acid receptors (ionotropic); Information processing; Laboratory animals; Memantine; N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors; Neurological diseases; Parkinson's disease; Pharmacology; Physiology; rat; Research centers; Research Paper; somatosensory cortex; Electrophysiology; Somatosensory cortex; Memantine; Rat
• ISSN: 2228-7442; 2008-126X; 2228-7442
• DOI: 10.32598/bcn.2021.1156.2

Introduction: Memantine as N-Methyl-D-Aspartic Acid (NMDA) receptor antagonist is used in some neurological disorders. Moreover, memantine presents modulatory effects on the somatosensory information processing in healthy subjects. This study investigated the effects of memantine on electrophysiological properties of barrel cortex neurons in male rats. Methods: Single unit recording was used to evaluate the electrophysiological properties of barrel cortex neurons. The neural responses to the Principal Whisker (PW), Adjacent Whisker (AW), and combined displacement of two whiskers [20 ms Inter-Stimulus Intervals (ISIs)] were recorded before and 2 hours after memantine gavage (10 mg/kg). A Condition Test Ratio (CTR) was calculated for assessing inhibitory interactions. Results: Two hours after memantine gavage, neuronal ON and OFF responses to PW deflection were decreased. Furthermore, CTR for both ON and OFF responses was decreased following memantine administration. Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that memantine modified neural response properties in the rat barrel cortex.