Inhibitory avoidance memory retention in the elevated T-maze is impaired after perivascular manipulation of the common carotid arteries.

Perivascular manipulation promoted by the positioning of a silicone collar around the common carotid arteries causes local inflammation and has been suggested as an animal model of atherosclerosis. This manipulation induces biochemical and morphological changes that are similar to those observed in the early stage of atherosclerosis in humans. Based on evidences showing that atherosclerosis is associated with cognitive deficits in humans, we presently investigated the temporal consequences of the bilateral positioning of silicone collars around the common carotid arteries (n = 15) on inhibitory avoidance memory retention in male Wistar rats tested in the elevated T-maze. The effects of this procedure were compared to those observed in sham-operated animals (n = 15) and to those observed in animals submitted to permanent bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries (n = 16). Additionally we studied the effects of the pretreatment with the non-selective anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin (n = 13) or the selective COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (n = 12) and compared the effects to those of the pretreatment with vehicle (n = 11). The results showed that the silicone collar implants induced deficits in memory retention when animals were tested 2 and 4, but not 15 or 30, days after surgery. Permanent bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries impaired avoidance retention up to 30 days after surgery. Pretreatment with indomethacin (2 mg/kg/day) or celecoxib (5 mg/kg/day) post surgery and up to 3 days thereafter did not prevent memory deficits caused by silicone collar implants. Our data suggest that the prostanoids that participate in the inflammatory process triggered by the placement of the silicone collar do not seem responsible for the deficit in memory retention observed during the first days after collar placement.