Memory effect of caerulein and its analogs in active and passive avoidance responses in the rat

Effects of peptides on animal and human behavior: a review of studies published in the first twenty years of the journal Peptides

This review catalogs effects of peptides on various aspects of animal and human behavior as published in the journal Peptides in its first twenty years. Topics covered include: activity levels, addiction behavior, ingestive behaviors, learning and memory-based behaviors, nociceptive behaviors, social and sexual behavior, and stereotyped and other behaviors. There are separate tables for these behaviors and a short introduction for each section.

An introduction to neuronal cholecystokinin

This issue of Peptides was inspired by a gathering of CCK researchers at the first Neuronal Cholecsytokinin Gordon Conference. The papers in this issue reflect the diversity of CCK research and demonstrate how the field has matured. Reviews describe the regulation of CCK gene expression and CCK release, the nature of the hormone binding site of the CCK A receptor, interaction of CCK, dopamine and GABA, the role of CCK in thermoregulation, sexual behavior and satiety in rodents and humans. The research articles document features of cardiovascular regulation, reduced cocaine sensitization and decreased satiety in rats that lack the CCK A receptor. Pro CCK processing in neuroblastoma cells and the elevation of CCK levels in CSF in a model of chronic pain are detailed in other articles. Three articles using different behavioral paradigms in rat and sheep examine CCK in learning and memory. Two articles that examine CCK in different behaviors that have a dopaminergic component are included. Other articles describe the interaction between a 5HT(3) antagonist and CCK-induced satiety and c-fos activation and document secretion of oxytocin and vasopressin in female patients and controls in response to CCK 4 administration. There is good reason to believe that the future is bright for research on CCK. With the organization of national and international meetings, CCK researchers have a forum for communication. Opportunities for cooperation and collaboration have never been better. The easy integration of academic basic and clinical science with industrial science bodes very well for the advancement of our understanding of the multiple roles that CCK plays in the brain and for the future development of CCK-based therapies.

Repeated treatment with cholecystokinin octapeptide improves maze performance in aged Fischer 344 rats

Previous studies have shown that sulfated cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8S) can improve learning in adult rodents when administered systemically or into the central nucleus of amygdala. Here we analyzed the effect of repeated intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of CCK-8S on the performance of 26-month-old Fischer 344 rats in different versions of the Morris water maze and in a rota-rod test of motor coordination. Old rats were injected daily with different doses of CCK-8S (0.32 to 8.0 microg/kg; IP) 10 min before the behavioral tests. Control groups included vehicle-injected old and adult (3-month-old) F 344 rats. To control for a possible development of tolerance to the behavioral effects of repeated CCK-8S administration, groups of aged rats were included which were subjected to an acute rather than a repeated CCK injection schedule. The repeated administration of CCK-8S did not influence the performance of the old rats in the hidden-platform version of the maze. In addition, the acute treatment with CCK-8S failed to modify navigation performance in this task, suggesting that drug-tolerance may not account for the lack of behavioral effects seen after repeated CCK-8S injection. During the "probe trial", the percentage of animals per group, which swam exactly across the former platform site, was markedly increased in aged rats treated repeatedly with 1.6 microg/kg CCK-8S. This might be indicative of improved retention of the prior platform location and/or a higher resistance of the learned escape response to extinction. The specificity of the effect of CCK-8S on processes related to spatial learning and memory is supported by the lack of effect on motor performance.

Peptide immunoreactivity in aged rat cortex and hippocampus as a function of memory and BDNF infusion

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) modulates neuropeptide levels in hippocampus and cortex of young adult rats. Neuropeptide levels are altered in some age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease. BDNF may be able to rectify peptide abnormalities but, because plasticity decreases with age, BDNF may not alter peptide levels as readily in aged animals. To determine if BDNF would regulate peptide levels in aged rats, young, aged memory-impaired, and unimpaired rats were infused with BDNF or vehicle into hippocampus and cortex. Cell profile counts, cell profile areas, fiber counts, and/or fiber terminal densities were measured for sections immunostained for neuropeptide Y (NPY), somatostatin (SOM), cholecystokinin-8 (CCK), and dynorphin A(1-8) (DYN). Results showed that BDNF upregulated cortical NPY-immunoreactivity (ir) and SOM-ir, upregulated hippocampal NPY-ir, and downregulated hippocampal DYN-ir in both aged and young rats. In addition, BDNF significantly and selectively normalized the areas of atrophied deep cortical CCK-ir cell profiles in aged-impaired rats. Finally, decreased CCK-ir fiber density was found in the hippocampal formation of aged memory-impaired rats.

CCK-B receptor: chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry and pharmacology

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a peptide originally discovered in the gastrointestinal tract but also found in high density in the mammalian brain. The C-terminal sulphated octapeptide fragment of cholecystokinin (CCK8) constitutes one of the major neuropeptides in the brain; CCK8 has been shown to be involved in numerous physiological functions such as feeding behavior, central respiratory control and cardiovascular tonus, vigilance states, memory processes, nociception, emotional and motivational responses. CCK8 interacts with nanomolar affinities with two different receptors designated CCK-A and CCK-B. The functional role of CCK and its binding sites in the brain and periphery has been investigated thanks to the development of potent and selective CCK receptor antagonists and agonists. In this review, the strategies followed to design these probes, and their use to study the anatomy of CCK pathways, the neurochemical and pharmacological properties of this peptide and the clinical perspectives offered by manipulation of the CCK system will be reported. The physiological and pathological implication of CCK-B receptor will be confirmed in CCK-B receptor deficient mice obtained by gene targeting (Nagata el al., 1996. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 11825-11830). Moreover, CCK receptor gene structure, deletion and mutagenesis experiments, and signal transduction mechanisms will be discussed.

CCK in anxiety and cognitive processes

Extensive studies were carried out on the involvement of the CCKergic system in anxiety-, panic- and stress-related behaviour. The stimulation of CCK-A or CCK-B receptors is implicated in the physical and psychological responses of CCK to stress. Furthermore, several selective CCK-B agonists produce anxiogenic-like effects, while CCK-B antagonists induce anxiolytic-like responses in several models of anxiety. However, BC264 a highly selective CCK-B agonist, does not produce anxiogenic-like effects but increases attention and/or memory. These effects are dependent on the dopaminergic systems. Together with biochemical data, this led to the hypothesis of the existence of two CCK-B binding sites, CCK-B1 and CCK-B2, which could correspond to different activation states of a single molecular entity. Investigations into CCK-B1 and CCK-B2 systems might be of critical interest, since only one site, CCK-B1, appears to be responsible for the effects of anxiety. Furthermore, the improvement of attention and/or memory processes by CCK, through CCK-B2 receptors, could offer a new perspective in the treatment of attention and/or memory disorders.

Chemical kindling induced by pentylenetetrazol changes cholecystokinin mRNA and peptide levels in rat frontal cortex

Kindling model is useful to study the mechanism of learning and memory. Cholecystokinin (CCK) mRNA and CCK-like immunoreactivity (CCK-LI) levels in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of chemically kindled rats were determined at different time points. In the frontal cortex, chronic treatment with pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) (40 mg/kg per day for 8 days) increased CCK mRNA level at 7 days, and decreased CCK-LI level at 2 and 7 days after the last injection. However, neither CCK mRNA nor CCK-LI levels in the hippocampus changed. These results suggest that PTZ-induced kindling increases CCK mRNA expression and CCK-LI release in the frontal cortex.

Ceruletide improves event-related potential indicators of cognitive processing in young but not in elderly humans

The effect of intravenously administered ceruletide, a cholecystokinin (CCK) analogue, on neurophysiologic signs of stimulus processing was tested in 16 young (19-28 years) and 16 aged (70-86 years) healthy subjects. Placebo or 2.5 micrograms ceruletide was infused within 30 minutes according to a double-blind within-subject crossover design. Thereafter, auditory event-related brain potential (AERP) responses to stimuli of an "oddball" task (including the random presentation of frequent standard tones and rare target tones) were recorded. Amplitudes of the P2, P3, and SW components of the AERP were reduced in aged subjects (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, and p < 0.01, respectively), and latencies (from stimulus onset) of the N2 and P3 components were prolonged (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Together, these changes indicate impaired cognitive processing capabilities in aged compared with young subjects. Ceruletide enhanced P3 and also the subsequent slow-wave (SW) component that occurs 500 to 700 ms poststimulus in young subjects (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). The peptide did not at all affect AERPs in the elderly subjects. Results demonstrate the capability of ceruletide after systemic administration to enhance central nervous system indicators of cognitive processing such as P3 and SW in young subjects. However, despite the clear effect of the CCK analogue in young subjects, it remained ineffective in the group of aged subjects and, thus, failed to compensate for the decline in AERP signs of working memory functioning in the elderly subjects.

Effects of ceruletide and haloperidol on auditory evoked potentials in the cat brain

The influence of cholecystokinin-like peptide, ceruletide, on EEG and auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) was studied in nine cats. The cats were bearing electrodes implanted in the auditory cortex, hippocampus, reticular formation and cerebellum. Reference drugs used were haloperidol and neostigmine. The hippocampus showed the strongest effect of ceruletide, whereas the cerebellum was virtually unresponsive. The amplitude of AEPs was increased by peptide, an effect lasting up to 21 days which, according to amplitude frequency analysis (AFC) was due to an augmented theta response. The latter possibly indicates increased signal transfer to, or through, the brain structure in question, particularly in the hippocampal neurons. The effects of haloperidol and neostigmine did not reflect those of ceruletide and lasted only a few hours.

Behavioral effects of the cyclic cholecystokinin peptide analogue JMV-320

The in vivo effects of JMV-320 (a highly selective CCKB receptor ligand) and of CCK-4 on exploratory activity and memory in rats were compared. JMV-320 and CCK-4 did not modulate exploratory activity in an open field test but decreased it in an elevated plus-maze. CCK-4 (50 micrograms/kg) impaired passive avoidance response 3 h after training and JMV-320 (1 and 10 micrograms/kg) decreased active avoidance response 24 h after training. The behavioral effects of JMV-320 resemble the effects of CCK-4 and suggest that in vivo JMV-320 acts as a CCKB receptor agonist.

The selective CCK-B agonist, BC 264, impairs socially reinforced memory in the three-panel runway test in rats

The role of CCK-B receptor activation in memory processes has been reassessed using the three-panel runway task, under conditions which avoid the effects of CCK on satiety and reduce emotional responses. For this purpose the food reinforcement usually used was replaced by a social reinforcement. The results show that learning and memory can be assessed using this procedure. Moreover, under these experimental conditions, drugs such as scopolamine, amphetamine or kinurenic acid injected into the nucleus accumbens produced behavioral deficits. BC 264, a highly selective CCK-B agonist, peripherally administered or infused into the anterolateral part of the nucleus accumbens also impaired memory. These effects were suppressed by L-365,260 supporting the involvement of CCK-B receptors and of the nucleus accumbens in memory processes.

CCK-A and CCK-B selective receptor agonists and antagonists modulate olfactory recognition in male rats

Modulation of learning and memory is one of the physiological roles that the neuropeptide cholecystokinin (CCK-8) may play. We have used a behavioural model of olfactory recognition among rats to test this hypothesis and to explore the relationship between CCK-A and CCK-B receptors and memory retention. Adult male rats form a transient memory of a juvenile congenere as indicated by a reduction in the duration of investigatory behaviour upon re-exposure 30 min after an initial exposure, but not when re-exposure is delayed until 120 min afterwards. In the present study, rats were treated after the first contact with various compounds; inhibition and facilitation of olfactory recognition were evaluated as the persistence in investigation 30 min and the decrease in investigation 120 min after pharmacological manipulations, respectively. Systemic injection of CCK-8, of a selective CCK-A agonist, or of non-peptide CCK-B antagonists (CI-988 and LY-262691) enhanced olfactory recognition. In contrast, the CCK-B selective agonist BC 264 and the tetrapeptide CCK-4 both disrupted it. Taken together with previous evidence of the detrimental effect of the nonpeptide. CCK-A antagonist devazepide on olfactory recognition, these results confirm and extend the hypothesis that there is a balance between CCK-A-mediated facilitative effects and CCK-B-mediated inhibitory effects on memory retention.

Biological actions of cholecystokinin

Cholecystokinin (CCK) has emerged as an important mammalian neuropeptide, localized in peripheral organs and in the central nervous system. This review presents an overview of the molecular aspects of CCK peptides and CCK receptors, the anatomical distribution of CCK, the neurophysiological actions of CCK, release of CCK and effects of CCK on release of other neurotransmitters, and the actions of CCK on digestion, feeding, cardiovascular function, respiratory function, neurotoxicity and seizures, cancer cell proliferation, analgesia, sleep, sexual and reproductive behaviors, memory, anxiety, and dopamine-mediated exploratory and rewarded behaviors. Human clinical studies of CCK in feeding disorders and panic disorders are described. New findings are presented on potent, nonpeptide CCK antagonists, selective for the two CCK receptor subtypes, which demonstrate that endogenous CCK has biologically important effects on physiology and behavior.

CNS effects of peptides: a cross-listing of peptides and their central actions published in the journal Peptides, 1986-1993

The centrally mediated effects of peptides as published in the journal Peptides from 1986 to 1993 are tabulated in two ways. In one table, the peptides are listed alphabetically. In another table, the effects are arranged alphabetically. Most of the effects observed after administration of peptides are grouped, wherever possible, into categories such as cardiovascular and gastrointestinal. The species used in most cases has been rats; where other animals were used, the species is noted. The route of administration of peptides and source of information also are included in the tables, with a complete listing provided at the end. Many peptides have been shown to exert a large number of centrally mediated effects.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) causes memory impairment in passive avoidance responding of the rat

Our previous studies demonstrated that CCK-8 and its analog, cerulein (CER), have a potent preventive action on experimental amnesia, and that VIP has reciprocal action against CCK-8 and CER. Since VIP has been reported to cause amnesia, we carried out the present experiments to confirm this action and to examine the preventive effect of CER on VIP-induced amnesia. In the passive avoidance response, central administration, but not peripheral injection, of VIP caused amnesia; the effective portion of the molecule was found to be located in the N-terminus amino acid sequence. Secretin and PACAP, which have similar molecular structures to that of VIP, had no amnestic action. Preadministration of CER prevented VIP-induced memory deficit. The VIP antagonists did not affect amnesia induced by electroconvulsive shock and scopolamine. It was concluded that CER prevents VIP-induced memory deficit in the passive avoidance response of the rat.

Cholecystokinin receptors and memory: a radial maze study

CCK receptor agonists and antagonists have repeatedly been demonstrated to improve and impair, respectively, learning and memory functions. However, all studies to date have exploited avoidance paradigms. In the present study, the effect of some CCK receptor agonists and antagonists on the ability to learn an appetitively motivated task and to influence spatial working memory was investigated. In the first experiment, drugs were given immediately after each training session in the radial maze and the animals were tested, drug-free, during a 2-week period. After the initial treatments with caerulein, an unselective CCK receptor agonist (100 ng/kg SC), the animals were slightly less successful to obtain food pellets during the sessions on the first 2 days; whereas proglumide, an unselective CCK receptor antagonist (1 mg/kg SC) was without any effect. However, on the following days, all the three groups of rats (saline, caerulein, and proglumide) performed in a similar way. In the second experiment, drugs were given before each test session to well-trained animals. Scopolamine (0.15 and 0.3 mg/kg IP), the reference amnestic drug, produced dose-dependent impairment of working memory in the radial maze test. Proglumide (1 and 10 mg/kg SC) and devazepide, (a selective CCK-A receptor antagonist; 0.01 and 1 mg/kg SC), as well as caerulein (0.01, 0.1 and 1 microgram/kg SC) and CCK-4 (a selective CCK-B receptor agonist; 25 and 50 micrograms/kg SC) had no reliable effect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of anti-CCK-8 antiserum on acquisition and retrieval by mice in an appetitive task

Endogenous cholecystokinin (CCK) was blocked in the posterior cingulate cortex of BALB/c mice using a local injection of anti-CCK-8 antiserum, and memory effects were tested using Go-No Go visual discrimination conditioning. Injection of 0.4 microliter of anti-CCK-8 antiserum diluted to 1:10, 10-15 min before each session, produced substantial learning impairment on the discrimination task. But when injections were stopped, animals began to learn the task normally, showing that the anti-CCK antiserum effect was reversible. When the antiserum was administered at the same dose before a single test session 14 days after the end of the initial training, the retrieval process was also disturbed. These results show that cingulate cholecystokinin is essential for memory processes and suggest that cholecystokinin octapeptide may be a neuromodulator of the thalamo-cingulate pathway of Papez's circuit, which is involved in memory processes.

Protective effect of cerulein on memory impairment induced by protein synthesis inhibitors in rats

Previous studies have demonstrated that NMDA receptor antagonists and protein kinase C inhibitors induced marked memory impairment in rats, but that peripherally administered cerulein (CER) prevented these effects. In the present study, the effect of subcutaneously administered CER on amnesia induced by protein synthesis inhibitors was examined in passive and active avoidance responses and in the Morris water maze test. Intraperitoneal injection of the inhibitors produced marked memory impairment, but the effect was abolished by combined administration with CER. The effective dose of subcutaneously injected CER was, on a molar basis, three thousand- and six thousandfold less than the dose of anisomycin, and two hundred eighty- and three thousandfold less than the dose of puromycin in the passive and active avoidance response experiments, respectively. Similarly, in the Morris water maze test, behavioral disturbances produced by the protein synthesis inhibitors were abolished by CER. These results indicate the effectiveness of CER in preventing memory impairment induced by protein synthesis inhibitors.

Systemic administration of a cholecystokinin analogue, ceruletide, protects against ischemia-induced neurodegeneration in gerbils

The neuroprotective action of a cholecystokinin octapeptide analogue, ceruletide, was evaluated in models of cerebral ischemia using Mongolian gerbils. Ceruletide significantly suppressed the hyperactivity and amnesia induced by ischemia when injected s.c. 30 min before 5-min occlusion of the bilateral common carotid arteries at room temperature or immediately after their reperfusion. Ceruletide also reduced behavioral changes in ischemic gerbils whose body temperature was maintained at 37 degrees C during the 3-min occlusion. In these groups, delayed neuronal cell death in the hippocampal CA1 area following ischemia was markedly attenuated by s.c. administration of ceruletide. On the other hand, ceruletide could not inhibit the behavioral changes or the neurodegeneration induced in the hippocampal CA1 area by 5-min occlusion at 37 degrees C. These findings indicate that peripheral injection of ceruletide produces a neuroprotective action against moderate cerebral ischemia, which is the first evidence suggesting the efficacy of ceruletide in neurodegenerative diseases.

Pretreatment with caerulein protects against memory impairment induced by protein kinase C inhibitors in the rat

The effect of subcutaneously injected caerulein (CER) on memory impairment induced by protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors, H-7 and melittin, was examined in rats. Intracerebroventricular injection of PKC inhibitors caused marked memory impairment in one-trial passive avoidance response and Morris water tank tasks. However, when rats were pretreated with CER at a subcutaneous dose of 1 microgram/kg 3 hours before the training trials, the reduced latency of the passive avoidance response was significantly increased, and in the Morris water pool tasks the memory deficit induced by PKC inhibitors completely disappeared. These results indicate that CER can offer protection against the effect of PKC inhibitors at least from the viewpoint of the memory processes.

Effect of caerulein on decreased latency of passive avoidance response in rats treated with NMDA receptor antagonists

The effect of subcutaneous injection of caerulein on memory impairment induced by intracerebroventricular administration of NMDA receptor antagonists was examined in the passive avoidance response of the rat. When rats were treated with AP5, AP7, CPP or MK-801, the retention latencies decreased markedly. However, in rats that received caerulein immediately after the training trials, the latency increased to some extent. Pretreatment with caerulein and subsequent injection of the competitive NMDA receptor antagonists AP5, AP7 and CPP caused a more apparent increase in the latency. The noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 was not affected by pretreatment with caerulein. The difference might be, at least in part, due to the sites of action of these NMDA receptor antagonists.