Effects of intracerebroventricular infusion of leptin in obese Zucker rats

We have previously reported that the dopaminergic projection from A10 ventral tegmental neurons to the central amygdala is, in part, responsible for the facilitatory effect of angiotensin II (AII) and its 3-7 fragment [AII(3-7)] on the retrieval of information in memory motivated affectively and also on recognition memory. In this study, the influence of both angiotensins, given intracerebroventricularly at the dose of 1 nmol each, in rats lesioned with 6-OHDA to the nucleus accumbens septi (NAS) and to the nucleus septi lateralis (NSL) on recognition memory was evaluated. AII and its 3-7 fragment significantly improved object recognition in sham-operated to NAS and to NSL groups of rats. Bilateral 6-OHDA lesions to NAS totally abolished and to NSL significantly attenuated the facilitatory effect of both angiotensins on object recognition. These results suggest that the dopaminergic projection arriving to the septal structures. NAS and NSL takes part in the facilitatory effect of angiotensins on recognition memory.