T-817MA, but Not Haloperidol and Risperidone, Restores Parvalbumin-Positive γ-Aminobutyric Acid Neurons in the Prefrontal Cortex and Hippocampus of Rats Transiently Exposed to MK-801 at the Neonatal Period

The number of parvalbumin (PV)-positive γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons is decreased in the brain of rats transiently exposed to MK-801, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blocker, in the neonatal stage (Uehara et al. (2012)). T-817MA [1-{3-[2-(1-benzothiophen-5-yl)ethoxy]propyl} azetidin-3-ol maleate] is a neuroprotective agent synthesized for the treatment of psychiatric disorders characterized by cognitive disturbances, such as dementia. We herein sought to determine whether T-817MA, haloperidol (HPD), or risperidone (RPD) would ameliorate the decrease in the number of PV-positive GABA neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus of the model animals. Rats were treated with MK-801 (0.2 mg/kg/day) or vehicle on postnatal days (PD) 7–10, and the number of PV-positive neurons in the mPFC and hippocampus were measured on PDs 63. T-817MA (20 mg/kg), HPD (1 mg/kg), or RPD (1 mg/kg) were administered during PDs 49–62. Fourteen-day administration of T-817MA reversed the decrease in the number of PV-positive neurons in the above brain regions of rats given MK-801, whereas HPD and RPD were ineffective. These results indicate that T-817MA provides a novel pharmacologic strategy to enhance cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia.