Effects of β-carboline alkaloids on the object recognition task in mice

β-carboline alkaloids are found in several medicinal plants and display a variety of actions on the central nervous, muscular and cardiovascular systems. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of systemic administration of β-carboline alkaloids on object recognition in mice. Adult Swiss mice received an intra-peritoneal injection (i.p.) of alkaloids (1.0, 2.5 or 5.0 mg/kg) 30 min before training in an object recognition task. The fully aromatic β-carbolines, harmine and harmol, induced an enhancement of short-term memory (STM) at all doses tested when compared to controls. Harmaline, a dihydro β-carboline and inverse agonist of the MK-801 binding site on the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, also induced an enhancement of both short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). These results demonstrate that systemic administration of β-carboline alkaloids can improve object recognition memory in mice.