Research reportActivation and blockade of serotonin6 receptors in the dorsal hippocampus enhance T maze and hole-board performance in a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson's disease

•Intra-DH injection of 5-HT6 antagonist enhanced the memory functions in sham rats.•Both 5-HT6 agonist and antagonist enhanced the memory functions in parkinsonian rats.•5-HT6 antagonist increased DA and NA levels in several brain regions in sham rats.•5-HT6 agonist and antagonist changed DA and NA levels in parkinsonian rats.•5-HT6 agonist and antagonist did not change 5-HT levels in sham and parkinsonian rats.

The role of dorsal hippocampus (DH) serotonin6 (5-HT6) receptors in memory is unknown, particularly in memory impairment of Parkinson's disease. We tested here effects of activation and blockade of DH 5-HT6 receptors on working and hippocampus-dependent memories in rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the medial forebrain bundle. The lesion induced working and hippocampus-dependent memory impairments as measured by the T-maze rewarded alternation and hole-board tests, and decreased dopamine (DA) levels in the striatum, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), DH and amygdala. Intra-DH injection of 5-HT6 receptor agonist WAY208466 (1.5, 3 and 6 µg/rat) did not change choice accuracy and the number of head-dippings when re-exposure to hole-board in sham-operated rats, while 5-HT6 receptor antagonist SB258585 (4 µg/rat) increased choice accuracy and decreased the number of head-dippings. In the lesioned rats, both WAY208466 (3 and 6 µg/rat) and SB258585 (2 and 4 µg/rat) increased choice accuracy and decreased the number of head-dippings. Neurochemical results showed that intra-DH injection of WAY208466 or SB258585 produced significant effects on DA and noradrenaline (NA) levels in the mPFC (WAY208466: sham-operated, NA −44%; lesioned, DA 522%, NA −47%; SB258585: sham-operated, DA 72%, NA 85%; lesioned, DA −68%), DH (WAY208466: lesioned, DA 427%; SB258585: sham-operated, DA 119%, NA 206%) and amygdala (WAY208466: sham-operated, NA −28%; lesioned, DA 302%; SB258585: sham-operated, NA 183%); however, 5-HT levels in these brain regions were not changed. These findings suggest DA depletion plays a key role in working and hippocampus-dependent memory impairments, and 5-HT6 receptors in the DH are involved in the regulation of the memories.