Improvement of Impaired Memory in Mice by Taurine

[摘要] Taurine was extracted fromPegasus later-narius Cuvierto study its effects on learning andmemory in mice. Mice were treated with differentdoses of taurine (10 mg/kg, 20 mg/kg, 40 mg/kg).The mice were treated with various chemicalagents (pentobarbital, cycloheximide, sodiumnitrite, alcohol) to disrupt the normal memoryprocess. We measured the effect of taurine onstep-down latency (SDL) and escape latency (EL)in a passive avoidance task after 10 or 30 days.Treatment with taurine alone did not changeeither SDL or EL. Taurine protected mice .fromthe memory disruption induced by alcohol,pentobarbital, sodium nitrite, and cycloheximidebut had no obvious effect on motor coordination,exploratory activity, or locomotor activity asmeasured using the rota-rod test and the holeboard test. We conclude that taurine can beeffective in attenuating the amnesia producedby alcohol, pentobarbital, cycloheximide, andsodium nitrite without compromising thebehavioral aspects of the animals tested.

[学科分类] 精神健康和精神病学