Gabapentin administered repeatedly impairs retention of an inhibitory avoidance response in mice

BLAKE MG; BOCCIA MM; ACOSTA GB; HOCHT C; BARATTI CM

Tandil, Argentina

Congreso; XXXV Reunión Científica Anual de la Asociación Argentina de Farmacología Experimental (SAFE); 2003

Asociación Argentina de Farmacología Experimental (SAFE)

Gabapentin (GBP) has been shown in extensive preclinical and clinical studies to be an effective anticonvulsivant drug. Although designed as a GABA analogue it is clearly not a GABA-mimetic. The actions of GBP on learning and memory in rodents are practically unknown. We recently demonstrated that post-training acute administration of GBP (50 mg/kg ip) enhanced memory consolidation of an inhibitory avoidance response in mice, probably through a desinhibitory effect on the activity of central cholinergic mechanisms. We report here that GBP, when given following a repetitive schedule of administration (50 mg/kg ip, two doses at day, 12 hs apart, during 7 days), impared retention test performance of the avoidance response, and reduced significantly the activity of the high affinity choline uptake on the hippocampus. It is suggested that the impairment on retention due to repeated doses of GBP, might be a consequence of a possible neuromodulatory negative and indirect interaction between the cholinergic and other neuronal systems, perhaps GABAergic in nature.