AF-DX 116, a presynaptic muscarinic receptor antagonist, potentiates the effects of glucose and reverses the effects of insulin on memory.

Male Swiss mice were tested 24 h after training in a one-trial step-through inhibitory avoidance task. Low subeffective doses of d-(+)-glucose (10 mg/kg, ip), but not its stereoisomer l-(-)-glucose (30 mg/kg,ip), administered immediately after training, and AF-DX 116 (0.3 mg/kg,ip), a presynaptic muscarinic receptor antagonist, given 10 min after training, interact to improve retention. Insulin (8 IU/kg, ip) impaired retention when injected immediately after training, and the effects were reversed, in a dose-related manner, by AF-DX 116 (0.3, 1.0, or 3.0 mg/kg, ip) administered 10 min following insulin. Since AF-DX 116 possibly blocks autoreceptors mediating the inhibition of acetylcholine release from cholinergic nerve terminals, the present data support the view that changes in the central nervous system glucose availability, subsequent to modification of circulating glucose levels, influence the activity of central cholinergic mechanisms involved in memory storage of an inhibitory avoidance response in mice. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.