Improving Effects of FG-7080, a Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, on Scopolamine-Induced Performance Deficits of Memory Tasks in Rats

A novel serotonin reuptake inhibitor, (-)trans 4-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenoxy-methyl)piperidine hydrochloride (FG-7080), was investigated for its effects on scopolamine-induced impairments in memory tasks of rats. In the radial-arm maze task, FG-7080 (3 mg/kg, p.o.) improved the impaired performance. FG-7080 (1 mg/kg, p.o.) administered before the acquisition trial reduced the acquisition deficits in the passive avoidance task. Thus, the compound showed improving effects in the appetitive and aversive memory tasks. These findings suggest that FG-7080 may ameliorate the cognitive impairments caused by the cholinergic dysfunction.