Ahmad Rafia - Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
Shahrbanoo Oryan - Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
Akram Eidi - Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
Hedayat Sahraei - Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Background and Aim : Stress is considered as one of the most important factors which influenced the cognitive activity. In the present study, the role of N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in stress-induced spatial memory disturbance in male Wistar rat was studied.Methods : Male Wistar rats (W: 200 g) were canulated bi-laterally in their BLA and one week later they enter the study (n=6-8/group). They received seven electric foot shock (EFS) stress sessions on seven consecutive days. Memantine (0.1, 1, and 5 µg/rat) or saline (0.5 µLit/rat) was injected into the BLA five min before each stress sessions. Control groups received either saline (0.5 µLit/rat) or memantine (0.1, 1, and 5 µg/rat) without stress. Animals’spatial learning and memory was evaluated using Barnes maze method. The animals experience five consecutive days training on the maze for spatial learning. On the sixth day, their spatial memory was evaluated on the maze. Time and distance to reaching the target hole as well as the number of errors and the strategy the animals choosing for reaching to target hole were considered as the parameters for spatial learning and memory evaluation. Results : Our results indicated that stress increases the time and distance to target hole and number of errors. Stress also changed the animals’ strategy from serial to random. Intra-BLA memantine reversed all of the disturbances induced by stress. Conclusion : This study indicated that BLA glutamate NMDA receptors have an important role for modulating the effect of stress on spatial learning and memory deficit.

Stress; Memantine; NMDA receptors; Spatial learning and memory; Basolateral Amygdala