Effects of pharmacological drugs on synaptic activity of hippocampus

Abstract

The search for physiologically active drugs with precognitive action and the study of mechanisms of their influence on the brain represent important tasks of neurobiology and neuropharmacology. The paper considers methodical and scientific approaches to the study of effects of different memoryenhancing drugs on synaptic activity of area CA1 of hippocampus. Special attention was paid to the modulation of longtermpotentiation, previously disturbed by hypoxia or alcohol perfusion, by peptide analogues of piracetam. It was demonstrated using patch clamp technique that one of these peptides, Noopept, increases inhibitory synaptic transmission, probably due to blockade of potassium channels in the terminals of inhibitory interneurons.

Keywords

• hippocampus
• long-term potentiation
• synaptic activity
• neuropeptides
• noopept
• patch-clamp method
• ionic currents