Behavioral side effects in rats treated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors suggested used as prophylactics against nerve agents.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in combination with an anticholinergic, particularly anticholinergics with antiglutamatergic properties, can effectively protect against nerve agent-induced seizures and lethality. The objective of the present study was to examine potential behavioral side effects of the anticholinesterases physostigmine (0.1mg/kg), galantamine (3mg/kg), huperzine (0.5mg/kg), and donepezil (2.5mg/kg) alone or each drug in combination with anticholinergic procyclidine (3mg/kg). The results showed that rats injected intraperitoneally with galantamine displayed a mild cognitive deficit in terms of reduced preference for novelty that was similarly found among animals treated with procyclidine combined with either galantamine or donepezil. Locomotor activity and rearing were radically depressed in all groups treated with anticholinesterases as well as in combination with procyclidine. Reductions in activity were most prominent for rats injected with galantamine alone. Equalizing effects of cholinesterase inhibitors and anticholinergics were absent in the present context. Findings from previous studies that both systemic and local (amygdala) application of physostigmine cause increased fear-motivated freezing response in rats, may explain the marked reductions in activity among the present rats. In view of these findings, use of anticholinesterases (crossing the blood-brain barrier) as prophylactics against nerve agents must be carefully examined to avoid severe side effects.

Cognitive side effects in rats caused by pharmacological agents used to prevent soman-induced lethality.

It is important that prophylactics used to protect military and emergency personnel against lethal doses of nerve agents do not by themselves produce impairment of cognitive capability. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether physostigmine, scopolamine, and various doses of procyclidine might reduce rats' innate preference for novelty. When these drugs were tested separately, the results showed that physostigmine (0.1 mg/kg) and procyclidine (3 mg/kg) did not affect preference for novelty, whereas scopolamine (0.15 mg/kg) and procyclidine in a higher dose (6 mg/kg) resulted in a preference deficit (Experiment 1). In Experiment 2, the combination of physostigmine and scopolamine or physostigmine and procyclidine (6 mg/kg) caused a marked deficit in preference for novelty. A much milder deficit was observed when physostigmine was combined with lower doses (1 or 3 mg/kg) of procyclidine. The latter combinations also had milder adverse impact on the animals' interest in the test environment and activity measures than the former combinations. By combining physostigmine with anticholinergics, a potentiation of adverse effects on behavior was seen. It is concluded that a slight cognitive impairment might be unavoidable with effective prophylactics.