Effects Of Desmopressin On Memory Disorders Due To Electroconvulsive Therapy (Ect) In Humans

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an efficient treatment for several neuropsychiatric disorders; however a large number of patients develop memory impairment after ECT. Different studies both on animals and human suggest that vasopressin has positive effects on memory and improves cognitive functions. In this randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial, 50 patients with psychiatric disorders who were candidate for ECT were studied. In the control group (20 patients) who received normal saline, ECT resulted in impairment in several aspects of memory such as: immediate memory, short term memory, visual memory, associate learning and memory quality. The sub-scores for most of the sub-fractional aspects of memory by WMS tests were decreased significantly by the 2nd and the 3rd tests (p<0.001 for most of the measured parameters). In the case group (30 patients), each patient received 60 μg/day (in 3 doses) desmopressin as intranasal spray; during the ECT treatment most of the measured parameters were increased significantly by the 2nd and the 3rd WMS tests. There were significant differences between the two groups for most memory scores (p<0.0001). The data demonstrate that desmopressin has protective and facilitating effects on memory impairment after ECT. Therefore, we conclude that desmopressin may be effective in the prevention of memory disorders by facilitating effects on memory and learning processes and may be used in patients who receive ECT for neuropsychiatric disorders

The effect of L-Arginin on Morris water maze tasks of ovariectomized rats

The role of ovarian hormones, nitric oxide, and their interaction on learning and memory has been widely investigated. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of Acute (A) and Chronic (C) L-Arginine (L-Arg) administration on learning and memory in ovariectomized (OVx) rats. Forty-five rats were divided into six groups: 1) sham, 2) OVx, 3) sham-L-Arg-A, 4) OVx-L-Arg-A, 5) sham-L-Arg-C, 6) OVx-L-Arg-C. The animals of sham-L-Arg-A and OVx-L-Arg-A were acutely treated with 500 mg/kg of L-Arg during 5 test days. Sham-L-Arg-C and OVx-L-Arg-C chronically received 500 mg/kg/day of L-Arg during 8 weeks before 5 test days. The animals in sham and OVx groups received 1 ml/kg saline instead of L-Arg. At the end of the experiment, the animals were tested in Morris water maze and the escape latency and traveled path to reach the platform were compared between groups. Results showed that the escape latency and traveled path in OVx group were significantly higher than in sham group ( p <0.05). The animals in OVx-L-Arg-A group had significantly lower traveled path length and escape latency compared to OVx group ( p <0.001). Chronic treatment by L-Arg had no significant effect on learning and memory in OVx and sham-operated animals. It seems that L-Arg has a role in Morris water maze tasks disturbances in OVx rats but it needs to be further investigated