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The cognitive impairments and negative symptoms experienced by schizophrenia patients still await effective treatment. Alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7 nAChRs) have gain considerable attention in this regard. It has been recently proposed that positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of α7 nAChRs may represent an alternative strategy to that based on orthosteric agonists. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of PAM-2 (3-furan-2-yl-N-p-tolyl-acrylamide) against cognitive deficits and negative-like symptoms in a rat model of schizophrenia based on administration of ketamine, a NMDAR antagonist. The activity of PAM-2 was compared to that elicited by DMXBA, an α7 nAChR partial agonist. For this purpose, the attentional set-shifting task (ASST) and the novel object recognition task (NORT) were used. The efficacies of PAM-2 and DMXBA against ketamine-induced social withdrawal were assessed using the social interaction test (SIT). The results demonstrated that PAM-2 and DMXBA ameliorated ketamine-induced cognitive impairments on the ASST and NORT as well as produced pro-social activities in the SIT. Moreover, the co-administration of inactive doses of PAM-2 and antipsychotic drugs, clozapine or risperidone, reversed ketamine-induced deficits. The present findings provide further support for the concept that α7-PAMs could be used either alone or in combination with antipsychotics for schizophrenia therapy., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) dysfunction plays an important role in schizophrenia. Positive allosteric modulators of α7 nAChR have emerged as a promising therapeutic approach to manage cognitive deficits that are inadequately treated in schizophrenic patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ability of type I (CCMI) and type II (PNU120596) α7 nAChR positive allosteric modulators to counteract MK-801-induced cognitive and sensorimotor gating deficits. The activity of these compounds was compared with the action of the α7 nAChR agonist A582941. CCMI, PNU120596 and A582941 reversed the sensorimotor gating impairment evoked by MK-801 based on the prepulse inhibition of the startle response. Additionally, no MK-801-evoked working memory deficits were observed with α7 nAChR ligand pretreatment as assessed in a discrete paired-trial delayed alternation task. However, these compounds did not affect the rats' attentional performances in the five-choice serial reaction time test. The α7 nAChR agents demonstrated a beneficial effect on sensorimotor gating and some aspects of cognition tested in a rat model of schizophrenia. Therefore, these results support the use of α7 nAChR positive allosteric modulators as a potential treatment strategy in schizophrenia.

Serotonin (5-HT) receptors still represent promising targets for the development of novel multireceptor or stand-alone antipsychotic drugs with a potential to ameliorate cognitive impairments and negative symptoms in schizophrenia. The 5-HT5A receptor, one of the least known members of the serotonin receptor family, has also drawn attention in this regard. Although the antipsychotic efficacy of 5-HT5A antagonists is still equivocal, recent experimental data suggest the cognitive-enhancing activity of this strategy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate pro-cognitive and pro-social efficacies of the 5-HT5A receptor antagonist in a rat pharmacological model of schizophrenia employing the administration of the NMDA receptor antagonist, ketamine. The ability of SB-699551 to reverse ketamine-induced cognitive deficits in the attentional set-shifting task (ASST) and novel object recognition task (NORT) was examined. The compound's efficacy against ketamine-induced social withdrawal was assessed in the social interaction test (SIT) and in the social choice test (SCT). The results demonstrated the efficacy of SB-699551 in ameliorating ketamine-induced impairments on the ASST and NORT. Moreover, the tested compound also enhanced set-shifting performance in cognitively unimpaired control rats and improved object recognition memory in conditions of delay-induced natural forgetting. The pro-social activity of SB-699551 was demonstrated on both employed paradigms, the SIT and SCT. The present study suggests the preclinical efficacy of a strategy based on the blockade of 5-HT5A receptors against schizophrenia-like cognitive deficits and negative symptoms. The utility of this receptor as a target for improvement of cognitive and social dysfunctions warrants further studies., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7-nAChRs) have generated great interest as targets of new pharmacological treatments for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. One promising recent approach is based on the use of positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of α7-nAChRs, which demonstrate several advantages over direct agonists. Nevertheless, the efficacy of these newly introduced α7-nAChR agents has not been extensively characterised in animal models of schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of type I and II PAMs, N-(5-chloro-2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-N'-(5-methyl-3-isoxazolyl)urea (PNU-120596) and N-(4-chlorophenyl)-[[(4-chlorophenyl)amino]methylene]-3-methyl-5-isoxazoleacet-amide (CCMI), respectively, and galantamine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChE) that also allosterically modulates nAChRs, against ketamine-induced cognitive deficits and social withdrawal in rats. The orthosteric α7-nAChR agonist octahydro-2-methyl-5-(6-phenyl-3-pyridazinyl)-pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole (A-582941) was used as a positive control. Additionally, the antipsychotic activities of the tested compounds were assessed using the conditioned avoidance response (CAR) test. PNU-120596, CCMI, galantamine and A-582941 reversed ketamine-induced cognitive inflexibility, as assessed in the attentional set-shifting task (ASST). The tested compounds were also effective against ketamine-induced impairment in the novel object recognition task (NORT). PNU-120596, CCMI, and A-582941 ameliorated ketamine-induced social interaction deficits, whereas galantamine was ineffective. Moreover, all tested compounds selectively suppressed the CAR. The positive allosteric modulation of α7-nAChRs demonstrates preclinical efficacy not only against schizophrenia-like cognition impairments but also positive and negative symptoms. Therefore, the use of α7-nAChR PAMs as a potential treatment strategy in schizophrenia is supported., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A wide body of evidence suggests that 5-HT7 receptors are implicated in a variety of central nervous system functions, including control of learning and memory processes. According to recent preclinical data, the selective blockade of these receptors may be a potential target for cognitive improvement in schizophrenia. The first aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the selective 5-HT7 receptor antagonist, SB-269970, and the antipsychotic drug with a high affinity for 5-HT7 receptors, amisulpride, on ketamine-induced deficits in attentional set-shifting and novel object recognition tasks in rats. Because the role of 5-HT7 receptor blockade in ameliorating positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia remains equivocal, the second aim of these experiments was to examine the effectiveness of SB-269970 and amisulpride in reversing ketamine-induced deficits in prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex and in social interaction test in rats. The study revealed that acute administration of SB-269970 (1 mg/kg) or amisulpride (3 mg/kg) ameliorated ketamine-induced cognitive inflexibility and novel object recognition deficit in rats. Both compounds were also effective in attenuating ketamine-evoked disruption of social interactions. In contrast, neither SB-269970 nor amisulpride affected ketamine-disrupted prepulse inhibition or 50 kHz USVs accompanying social behaviour. In conclusion, antagonism of 5-HT7 receptors may represent a useful pharmacological approach in the treatment of cognitive deficits and some negative symptoms of schizophrenia.