Effects of DM-9384 and aniracetam on learning in normal and basal forebrain-lesioned rats

Effects of DM-9384 [(N-2, 6-dimetyl-phenyl)-2-(2-oxo-1-pyrrolidinyl) acetamide] on learning and memory and/or the choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity in normal and basal forebrain (BF)-lesioned rats were investigated using the multiple T-maze and passive avoidance tasks. Aniracetam was used as the reference drug. In the multiple T-maze task, DM-9384 not only ameliorated the learning deficit of the BF-lesioned rats, but also showed a tendency to enhance the learning ability of their normal counterparts. Aniracetam only achieved the former. In the passive avoidance task, both DM-9384 (3 mg/kg) and aniracetam (10 mg/kg) attenuated the BF-lesion-induced amnesia. DM-9384 (3 mg/kg) showed a tendency to increase CAT activity in the fronto-parietal cortex. These results suggest that DM-9384 enhances the acquisition of spatial information, and that its effect may be produced through an activation of the cholinergic neuronal system.