Neurochemical analysis of brain monoamines after L-histidine and chlorpheniramine administration in goldfish

Involvement of the histaminergic system on appetitive learning and its interaction with haloperidol in goldfish

This study investigated the actions of the histaminergic system on appetitive learning and memory, and its interaction with the dopaminergic system in goldfish. It consisted of nine sessions, in which fish were tested in a four-arm tank. On day 1, the animals were habituated for 10 min. On day 2, they were placed in one arm and had to find food at the left or the right arm. Time to begin feeding was recorded, and the procedure repeated for more 3 days (training phase). On training day 4, seven groups were injected with saline, seven with haloperidol (2.0 mg/kg) and one with DMSO solution before training and after feeding, three groups received saline, six chlorpheniramine (CPA) (1.0, 4.0 and 8.0 mg/kg), and six l-histidine (LH) (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg). Saline groups were considered as control of CPA and LH treated groups and DMSO as control of haloperidol. A non-injected group was also included. Testing occurred after 24 h. A reversal procedure was conducted 24h after testing and repeated for 3 days. The groups receiving CPA at 1.0 and 8.0 mg/kg and LH at 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg differed between Test and Reversal day 1. Pre-treatment with haloperidol plus 8.0 mg/kg of CPA and 25 and 50 mg/kg of LH reverted the treatment effect. However, in the groups treated with 1.0 mg/kg of CPA and 100 mg/kg of LH, the difference remained. This study confirmed the interaction between the histaminergic and the dopaminergic systems on memory process in goldfish.

Anxiolytic-like effect of chlorpheniramine in inhibitory avoidance in goldfish submitted to telencephalic ablation

The aim of the present study was to verify the consequences of telencephalic ablation on the learning of inhibitory avoidance and anxiety in goldfish. The animals were submitted to telencephalic ablation or sham operations five days prior to the experimental procedure. The inhibitory avoidance procedure was performed in 3 days using a rectangular aquarium divided into two compartments (black and white) with a central door. On the first day, the animals were habituated for 10 min. On the second and third days, they were injected with saline (SAL), 16 mg/kg Chlorpheniramine (CPA), 40% Propylene glycol (PPG) or 1 mg/kg Diazepam (DZP) twenty minutes before training. Then the animals were placed in the white compartment, the central door was opened and the time spent for crossing between compartments was recorded. After the fish crossed the line between the compartments a 45-g weight was dropped. This procedure was performed three times in a row. The groups submitted or not to telencephalic ablation and treated with SAL presented a difference between training sessions; however, the groups treated with CPA, PPG or DZP did not show any differences between them. These results suggest that the treatment with CPA, PPG or DZP impaired the acquisition of inhibitory avoidance conditioning in animals regardless of telecenphalic ablation. In conclusion, telencephalic ablation does not disrupt the animals' capacity to learn the inhibitory avoidance task, and based on the fact that CPA showed similar effects to those of DZP on the animals submitted or not to telencephalic ablation, we suggest that the CPA presents an anxiolytic-like effect mediated by the diencephalon in goldfish.

Effects of Chlorpheniramine and L-histidine on vestibular compensation in goldfish, Carassius auratus

Histamine is thought to be involved in the recovery of vestibular function after damage to the vestibular receptors of the inner ear. This study evaluated the effects of post-operative treatment using Chlorpheniramine (H1 histamine antagonist) and L-histidine, (a histaminergic precursor), after hemilabyrinthectomy in goldfish. In this lesion model, the unilateral removal of the labyrinth induces a transient postural imbalance in response to light. After the lesion, the animals were injected intraperitoneally, during 12 consecutive days, with Chlorpheniramine, L-histidine and saline. All the substances were administered in a volume of 1 ml/kg body weight. Another group, which served as a non-lesion control, did not receive hemilabyrinthectomy or systemic injections. Chlorpheniramine accelerated the functional recovery when compared with that of the saline group. These data suggest that the inhibition of the histaminergic system facilitates the functional recovery in goldfish.