Effect of short time captopril administration on spatial memory in aging rats

Introduction: The brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been reported having a pathological role in age-related impairment in learning and memory. Therefore, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) are expected to have positive ef fects on memory. Longtime treatment with captopril (an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor) significantly attenuates the age-related impairment in learning and memory. Materials and Methods: In the present study, 24 month old male Wistar rats were divided into four experimental groups (n=8). Captopril treated groups received daily ip injections of captopril at doses of 5, 10, 15 mg/kg/day for one week, the forth group served as control and remained untreated. Learning process was assessed by the reference memory task in the Morris water maze. All rats received water maze training (4 trials/day for 5 days) to assess hippocampal dependent spatial learning and then received a 60-s probe test of spatial memory retention 24 h after the 20th trial. Results: Over 5 days of training, captopril 5, 10, 15 mg/kg/day treatment signi ficantly reduced the latency and path length to finding the escape platform. In probe trails (without platform), on the last day of training, the captopril -treated group spent significantly longer time in the platform quadrant than control animals. Among treated group, 10 /mg/Kg dosage of captopril induced the best rehearsals memory. Conclusion: These results confirm the previous studies that ACEi have a positive influence on memory and it was noticeable that even short time treatment by captopril can improve spatial memory in the aged rats. © 2015, Iranian Society of Physiology and Pharmacology. All rights reserved

Outcomes of a virtual-reality simulator-training programme on basic surgical skills in robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery

Background The utility of the virtual-reality robotic simulator in training programmes has not been clearly evaluated. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of a virtual-reality robotic simulator-training programme on basic surgical skills. Methods A simulator-training programme in robotic surgery, using the da Vinci Skills Simulator, was evaluated in a population including junior and seasoned surgeons, and non-physicians. Their performances on robotic dots and suturing-skin pod platforms before and after virtual-simulation training were rated anonymously by surgeons experienced in robotics. Results 39 participants were enrolled: 14 medical students and residents in surgery, 14 seasoned surgeons, 11 non-physicians. Junior and seasoned surgeons’ performances on platforms were not significantly improved after virtual-reality robotic simulation in any of the skill domains, in contrast to non-physicians. Conclusions The benefits of virtual-reality simulator training on several tasks to basic skills in robotic surgery were not obvious among surgeons in our initial and early experience with the simulator

SPRK: A Low-Cost Stewart Platform For Motion Study In Surgical Robotics

To simulate body organ motion due to breathing, heart beats, or peristaltic movements, we designed a low-cost, miniaturized SPRK (Stewart Platform Research Kit) to translate and rotate phantom tissue. This platform is 20cm x 20cm x 10cm to fit in the workspace of a da Vinci Research Kit (DVRK) surgical robot and costs $250, two orders of magnitude less than a commercial Stewart platform. The platform has a range of motion of +/- 1.27 cm in translation along x, y, and z directions and has motion modes for sinusoidal motion and breathing-inspired motion. Modular platform mounts were also designed for pattern cutting and debridement experiments. The platform's positional controller has a time-constant of 0.2 seconds and the root-mean-square error is 1.22 mm, 1.07 mm, and 0.20 mm in x, y, and z directions respectively. All the details, CAD models, and control software for the platform is available at github.com/BerkeleyAutomation/sprk

Quercetin improved spatial memory dysfunctions in rat model of intracerebroventricular streptozotocin-induced sporadic Alzheimer’sdisease

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative syndromes characterized by a progressive decline in the spatial memory. There are convincing evidences on the neuroprotective effects of flavonoids against AD. Aims and Objective: To determine the effect of quercetin on the acquisition and retention of spatial memory in a rat model of AD. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided into four groups (six in each): group I: control rats receiving intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of normal saline, group II: rats induced AD by ICV injection of streptozotocin (STZ; 3 mg/kg bilaterally; twice, on days 1 and 3), and groups III and IV: ICV-STZ AD rats treated intraperitoneally (IP) with 40 and 80 mg/kg/day quercetin, respectively, over a period of 12 days. Then, the rats were trained with four trials per day for five consecutive days in the Morris water maze (MWM). On the sixth day, the memory retention was evaluated. Result: The ICV-STZ AD groups showed a significant impairment in the acquisition and retrieval of spatial memory when compared with the control group (P < 0.001). In the AD groups, the escape latency during the training trials showed a significant decrease (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, during the MWM task, theseratsspentmoretimeinthetargetquadrant in probe trials when compared with the controls. Conclusion: Quercetin acted as a spatial memory enhancer in ICV-STZ–induced AD rats. Hence, this flavonoid can be considered potentially as a promising agent for developing prophylactic and therapeutic neuroprotection. This neuroprotective effect of quercetin may be attributed to its antioxidant and scavenging properties. © 2015 Hamid Sepehri

Effect of metformin on the spatial memory in aged rats

Background: Aging process is often accompanied with some degree of decline in all the abilities, including learning and memory. One of the attracting research fields has been devoted to finding antiaging drugs. Metformin has shown some memory-enhancing features in aged humans and laboratory animals. Aims and Objective: To evaluate the effects of 50, 75, and 100 mg/kg of metformin on the spatial memory performance of aged rats in the Morris water maze. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two male 24-month-old rats were divided randomly into four groups (n = 8) including control group and 50-, 75-, and 100-mg/kg metformin groups. After 36 days of treatment, the learning process was assessed by the reference memory task in the Morris water maze. All the rats received water maze training (four trials/day for 5 days) to assess the hippocampal-dependent spatial learning and, then, received a 60-s probe trial test of spatial memory retention 24 h after the twentieth trial. Result: Over 5 days of training, metformin (50, 75, and 100 mg/kg/day) treatment significantly reduced the latency and path length to find the escape platform (P < 0.01). In probe trials (without platform), on the last day of training, the metformin-treated groups spent significantly longer time in the platform quadrant when compared with the control group. Among the treated groups, 100 mg/kg dosage of metformin induced the best rehearsals memory (P < 0.05). Conclusion: These results showed that, in the old rats, 36-day orally administered metformin showed a positive influence on the spatial memory performance in the Morris water maze. © 2015 Farzaneh Ganji