Session Information
Date: Thursday, June 23, 2016
Session Title: Neuropharmacology
Session Time: 12:00pm-1:30pm
Location: Exhibit Hall located in Hall B, Level 2
Objective: To assess the cognitive functions in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated macaques following acute administration of Pramipexole (PPX).
Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by both motor symptoms and impairment of both cognitive performance and executive functions. PPX, a D2/D3 agonist, has shown anti-Parkinsonian effects in both animal models and patients, but its ability to improve cognition remains controversial. The purpose of the study was to examine the cognitive effects of this dopaminergic agonist in the gold standard primate model of cognitive defects in PD, the chronic low-dose (CLD) 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) macaque model.
Methods: Cognitive performances were assessed in 3 behavioural tasks following administrations of PPX (0.005, 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 mg/kg). Eight MPTP cynomolgus macaques, displaying severe motor deficits, were tested in the Object Retrieval (OR) task. Five CLD cynomolgus macaques, displaying cognitive deficits and mild Parkinsonian motor deficits, produced by chronic exposure to low doses of MPTP were tested in the Variable Delayed Response (VDR) and the Continuous Performance Task (CPT) on a touch-screen computerized system.
Results: In the OR task, the small doses of PPX did not cause a deterioration of performances as induced by an optimal dose of L-DOPA. The dose of 0.005 mg/kg showed the same effect in the VDR via a decreased amount of omissions compared to L-DOPA. In the CPT, neither PPX nor L-DOPA showed any effects, which was likely due to performing the task too late after compound administration.
Conclusions: PPX administered at a dose of 0.005 mg/kg significantly preserved cognitive performances of CLD MPTP monkeys in the VDR and in the OR tasks compared to an optimal dose of L-DOPA. These results suggest the likely beneficial cognitive effects of PPX for L-DOPA-medicated patients experiencing PD-mild cognitive impairments.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
E.Y. Pioli, S.M.J. Camus, J. Yang, Q. Li, A. Crossman, E. Bezard. Cognitive effects of pramipexole in the chronic low-dose (CLD) 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated macaque model of Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2016; 31 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/cognitive-effects-of-pramipexole-in-the-chronic-low-dose-cld-1-methyl-4-phenyl-1236-tetrahydropyridine-mptp-treated-macaque-model-of-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed June 14, 2025.« Back to 2016 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/cognitive-effects-of-pramipexole-in-the-chronic-low-dose-cld-1-methyl-4-phenyl-1236-tetrahydropyridine-mptp-treated-macaque-model-of-parkinsons-disease/