Abstract
The auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related brain potential (ERP) reflects the storage of information in acoustic sensory memory. Thirteen patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 6 receiving treatment with the cholinesterase inhibitor, tacrine [tetrahydroaminoacridine (THA)], and 7 receiving no treatment, were administered 2 mg of nicotine polacrilex and placebo. MMNs were recorded with 1- and 3-s interstimulus intervals (ISIs) during pre- and post-placebo/nicotine administration. Amplitudes decreased from pre- to post-placebo recordings in nontreated patients but remained stable in THA-treated patients. Comparison of pre- and post-nicotine MMNs found amplitude increases with nicotine in nontreated but not in THA-treated patients. MMN latencies were shortened by nicotine in both treatment groups. These exploratory findings suggest that nicotine-improved strength of acoustic sensory memory traces and speed of acoustic sensory discrimination in AD are differentially affected by chronic tacrine treatment.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 457-464 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior |
| Volume | 72 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2002 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Biochemistry
- Toxicology
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Biochemistry
- Biological Psychiatry
- Behavioral Neuroscience