The histamine H3 receptor antagonist thioperamide rescues circadian rhythm and memory function in experimental parkinsonism

Transl Psychiatry. 2017 Apr 11;7(4):e1088. doi: 10.1038/tp.2017.58.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by motor impairment and a wide range of non-motor symptoms, including sleep disorders and cognitive and affective deficits. In this study, we used a mouse model of PD based on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) to examine the effect of thioperamide, a histamine H3 receptor antagonist, on circadian activity, recognition memory and anxiety. A partial, bilateral 6-OHDA lesion of the striatum reduces motor activity during the active phase of the 24 h cycle. In addition, the lesion disrupts the endogenous circadian rhythm observed when mice are maintained in constant darkness. Administration of thioperamide to 6-OHDA-lesion mice rescues the normal rest/activity cycle. Moreover, thioperamide counteracts the deficit of novel object recognition produced by 6-OHDA. Our experiments show that this memory impairment is accompanied by disrupted gamma oscillations in the hippocampus, which are also rescued by thioperamide. In contrast, we do not observe any modification of the anxiogenic effect of 6-OHDA in response to administration of thioperamide. Our results indicate that thioperamide may act as a multifunctional drug, able to counteract disruptions of circadian rhythm and cognitive deficits associated with PD.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anxiety / drug therapy*
  • Anxiety / physiopathology
  • Arousal / drug effects*
  • Arousal / physiology
  • Circadian Rhythm / drug effects*
  • Circadian Rhythm / physiology
  • Gamma Rhythm / drug effects
  • Gamma Rhythm / physiology
  • Hippocampus / drug effects
  • Hippocampus / physiopathology
  • Histamine H3 Antagonists / therapeutic use*
  • Male
  • Mental Recall / drug effects*
  • Mental Recall / physiology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Parkinsonian Disorders / drug therapy*
  • Parkinsonian Disorders / physiopathology
  • Piperidines / therapeutic use*
  • Recognition, Psychology / drug effects*

Substances

  • Histamine H3 Antagonists
  • Piperidines
  • thioperamide