TY - JOUR A2 - Curcio, Manuela AU - Sampaio, Tuane Bazanella AU - Marques, Naiani Ferreira AU - Binder, Luisa Bandeira AU - Tasca, Carla InĂªs AU - Prediger, Rui Daniel PY - 2020 DA - 2020/07/11 TI - Role of Prefrontal Cortex on Recognition Memory Deficits in Rats following 6-OHDA-Induced Locus Coeruleus Lesion SP - 8324565 VL - 2020 AB - Degeneration of the locus coeruleus (LC), the main source of cerebral noradrenaline (NA), has been reported in diverse neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s diseases (PD). There is increasing evidence indicating the role of NA deficiency in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the development of early cognitive impairments in PD. Here, we evaluated whether a selective noradrenergic lesion of LC caused by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) may induce memory deficits and neurochemical alterations in the PFC. Adult male Wistar rats received stereotaxic bilateral injections of 6-OHDA (5 μg/2 μl) into the LC, and two stainless-steel guide cannulas were implanted in the PFC. The SHAM group received just vehicle. To induce a selective noradrenergic lesion, animals received nomifensine (10 mg/kg), a dopamine transporter blocker, one hour before surgery. 6-OHDA-lesioned rats displayed impairments of the short- and long-term object recognition memory associated to reduced content of tyrosine hydroxylase in the LC. Neurochemical analysis revealed an altered mitochondrial membrane potential in LC. Regarding the PFC, an increased ROS production, cell membrane damage, and mitochondrial membrane potential disruption were observed. Remarkably, bilateral NA (1 μg/0.2 μl) infusion into the PFC restored the recognition memory deficits in LC-lesioned rats. These findings indicate that a selective noradrenergic LC lesion induced by 6-OHDA deregulates a noradrenergic network in the PFC, which could be involved in the early memory impairments observed in nondemented PD patients. SN - 1942-0900 UR - https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8324565 DO - 10.1155/2020/8324565 JF - Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity PB - Hindawi KW - ER -