Comparing the Effect of Dexmedetomidine and Etomidate Administration with Acute Height Stress on Spatial Memory in Male Mice

Abstract Background: Nowadays, anesthetic drugs are widely used in anesthesia and surgical procedures and their effects on memory have been the focus of attention for a very long time. The effects of these common drugs include Dexmedetomidine (DEX) and Etomidate (ETO), on memory are controversial. In this study, the effects of these two drugs, co-administrated with heights stress, were evaluated on short-term and long-term spatial memory. 48 male mice were divided into 6 experimental groups consisting of Control, Control+heightstress (H.S), ETO, ETO+H.S, DEX+H.S. Drugs were administered Intra-peritoneal with doses of 0.3-0.4 mg/kg and 11 mg/kg for DEX and ETO respectively, and spatial memory was assessed using the Barnes Model.Results: DEX improved acquisition and retention of spatial reference memory, whereas ETO showed no such effects. In addition, DEX and ETO showed excitatory effects on short-term spatial memory, however DEX was more effective than ETO.Conclusion: the results suggested the neuoprotective, synaptic plasticity and memory improving effects of DEX on spatial reference and working memory. However, the precise neuronal and molecular mechanisms of these effects and their relation to the anti-stress system is still unknown and requires further research.