Neuropharmacology
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High affinity choline transport, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were assessed in rats after acute and chronic administration of the AChE inhibitor Huperzine A. Acute treatment: Forty-five min after a single injection of Huperzine A (0.5 mg/kg i.p.) the activity of AChE was significantly decreased by 15-30% in hippocampus, striatum and septum. The activity of ChAT was not altered. ⋯ The activity of ChAT was not affected in any region of the brain studied. Thus, acute or chronic treatment with Huperzine A: did not alter ChAT; reduced high affinity choline transport in the hippocampus in a transient manner; and had a longer duration of action as an AChE inhibitor than physostigmine. Moreover, tolerance to low-toxicity doses of Huperzine A was minimal, contrary to what has been observed with other inhibitors of AChE.