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Cannabinoid agonist WIN55,212-2 prevents scopolamine-induced impairment of spatial memory in rats

Moreno Rodríguez, Marta,Bengoetxea de Tena, Iker,Martínez Gardeazabal, Jonatan,Pereira Castelo, Gorka,Llorente Ovejero, Alberto,Manuel Vicente, Iván,Rodríguez Puertas, Rafael

Abstract

This research was financially supported by grants from the Basque Government to the “Neurochemistry and Neurodegeneration” consolidated research group (IT975-16 and IT1454-22 to R.R-P), by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, co-funded by European Regional Development Fund “A way to make Europe” (PI20/00153 to R.R-P) and by BIOEF funded by Eitb Maratoia (BIO22/ALZ/010 to R.R-P). I.B.d.T was the recipient of an Investigo fellowship funded by the European Union Next Generation. G.P-C was the recipient of a University of the Basque Country predoctoral fellowship. J.M-G. was the recipient of a postdoctoral program at the University of the Basque Country.

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Cannabinoid agonis WIN55,212-2 p e en s scopolamine-induced impai men o spa ial memo y in a s Ma a Mo eno-Rod íguez a,1 , Ike Bengoe xea de Tena a,1 , Jona an Ma ínez-Ga deazabal a , Go ka Pe ei a-Cas elo a , Albe o Llo en e-O eje o a , I ´ an Manuel a,b , Ra ael Rod íguez-Pue as a,b,* a Depa men o Pha macology, Facul y o Medicine and Nu sing, Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain b Neu odegene a i e Diseases, BioBizkaia Heal h Resea ch Ins i u e, Ba akaldo, Spain ARTICLE INFO Keywo ds: Cannabinoid agonis CB 1 ecep o s Cen al choline gic sys em Scopolamine Memo y impai men Au o adiog aphic s udies Sp ague-Dawley a s ABSTRACT The endocannabinoid sys em is in ol ed in di e se p ocesses, like lea ning and memo y, go e ned by choline gic neu o ansmission. Recen esea ch demons a es ha in a a model o demen ia de i ed om basal o eb ain choline gic degene a ion, WIN55,212-2, a po en cannabinoid ecep o agonis , imp o es cogni ion h ough inc eased co ical choline le els. Howe e , he e ec o cannabinoids on choline gic de ici s is s ill unde in es iga ion. In his wo k, we s udied he e ec o his ea men in a pha macological a model o ansien choline gic hypo unc ion by he acu e adminis a ion o he musca inic an agonis , scopolamine (2 mg/kg), in spa ial, ecogni ion and a e si e memo y es s. Scopolamine induced memo y impai men was obse ed in he h ee es s and, impo an ly, he cannabinoid subch onic ea men wi h low doses o WIN55,212-2 (0.5 mg/kg) p e en ed his dele e ious e ec in spa ial memo y when e alua ed in Ba nes maze es . Au o adiog aphic s udies indica e ha , ollowing he WIN55,212-2 ea men , cannabinoid ecep o densi y inc eased in he mo o and soma osenso y co ices. In laye s I-V o he mo o co ex, he ac i i y o cannabinoid and musca inic e- cep o s also inc eased. These esul s sugges ha WIN55,212-2, h ough he ac i a ion o cannabinoid ecep o s, indi ec ly ele a es he musca inic one in key co ical a eas o lea ning and memo y, p e en ing he memo y de ici s induced by scopolamine speci ically in spa ial memo y. This highligh s he impo ance o he c oss alk be ween he endocannabinoid and he choline gic sys em o lea ning and memo y p ocesses and sugges ha cannabinoid agonis s migh be an al e na i e o he ea men o cogni i e de ici s associa ed wi h choline gic dys unc ion. 1. In oduc ion The endocannabinoid sys em (eCB) egula es ele an physiological p ocesses including pain, appe i e, immune esponses and cogni i e p ocesses (Lu and Mackie, 2021). These unc ions a e p edominan ly egula ed by CB 1 ecep o s, which a e among he mos exp essed and ac i e G p o ein-coupled ecep o s (GPCRs) in he cen al ne ous sys- em (CNS) (Ma inez Rami ez e al., 2023). Nume ous s udies indica e ha cannabinoids nega i ely a ec lea ning and memo y in physiologically no mal s a es (U i s e al., 2021) e.g., Δ-9- e ahyd ocannabinol (Δ 9 -THC) consump ion has been linked o impai men s in a ious b ain unc ions, including dis up ions in a en ion and cogni i e ask pe o mance (S ella, 2023). Howe e , g owing e idence sugges s ha he e ec s o cannabinoids a e biphasic and dose-dependen , and a e in luenced by he p eexis ing cogni i e s a us. In ac , lowe doses o cannabinoids migh be bene icial in some con ex s, including aging, Alzheime ’s disease (AD) and o he demen ia- ela ed neu odegene a i e condi ions (Bilkei-Go zo e al., 2017; Ozai a and Aso, 2017; Llo en e-O eje o e al., 2018; o e iew see Pe ei a-Cas elo e al., 2024). Some o hese e ec s esul om in e ac ions be ween he eCB sys- em and o he neu o ansmission sys ems in he CNS, such as he choline gic sys em, which is essen ial o memo y o ma ion (Gedankien e al., 2023). P esynap ic CB 1 ecep o s a egula e he exp ession o a e si e memo ies h ough he speci ic con ol o choline gic neu o- ansmission (So ia-G´ omez e al., 2015). In a spa ial memo y ask, he * Co esponding au ho . Depa men o Pha macology, Facul y o Medicine and Nu sing, Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain. E-mail add ess: [email p o ec ed] (R. Rod íguez-Pue as). 1 These au ho s con ibu ed equally o his wo k and sha e i s au ho ship. Con en s lis s a ailable a ScienceDi ec Eu opean Jou nal o Pha macology jou nal homepage: www.else ie .com/loca e/ejpha h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.ejpha .2025.177612 Recei ed 24 Ma ch 2025; Accep ed 8 Ap il 2025 Eu opean Jou nal o Pha macology 998 (2025) 177612 A ailable online 17 Ap il 2025 0014-2999/© 2025 The Au ho s. Published by Else ie B.V. This is an open access a icle unde he CC BY-NC license ( h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by- nc/4.0/ ). cogni i e impai men p oduced by a ea men wi h he cannabinoid ecep o s agonis WIN55,212-2 was media ed by choline gic hypo- unc ion (Robinson e al., 2010) and, no ably, bo h CB 1 and M 2 ecep o s a e p e e en ially p esynap ic and coupled o inhibi o y G p o eins (Nyí i e al., 2005). Va ious s udies pe o med using he musca inic an agonis scopol- amine u he suppo he in e ac ion be ween he choline gic and he eCB sys ems, al hough da a conce ning he impac o cannabinoid com- pounds on scopolamine-induced e ec s is inconclusi e. In ac , s udies pe o med wi h in e se agonis s o CB 1 ecep o s epo bo h a po en i- a ion o he dis up i e e ec s o scopolamine (Nakamu a-Palacios e al., 2000), o imp o ed cogni i e pe o mance ollowing adminis a ion (Dillon e al., 2011). In a passi e a oidance ask, bila e al mic oinjec ion a he basola e al amygdala (BLA) o a achydonilcyclop opylamide (ACPA), a CB 1 ecep o agonis , imp o ed scopolamine-induced memo y impai men , while co-adminis a ion o ine ec i e scopolamine doses wi h AM251, a cannabinoid CB 1 ecep o an agonis , mimicked he amnesic e ec ob ained wi h highe scopolamine doses (Nedaei e al., 2016). A p e ious s udy om ou g oup in es iga ed he e ec o a sub- ch onic WIN55,212-2 (0.5 mg/kg) ea men on lea ning and memo y in a model o basal o eb ain choline gic hypo unc ion, and he obse ed cogni i e imp o emen was media ed by inc eased le els o ace ylcho- line (ACh) oge he wi h he es o a ion o choline-con aining co ical lipids (Mo eno-Rod íguez e al., 2025). On his basis, we hypo hesized ha WIN55,212-2 could also e e memo y de ici s de i ing om he acu e inhibi ion o he musca inic sys em in he same con ex . Hence, he p esen s udy e alua ed, in i o, he e ec o he same cannabinoid ea men in p e en ing he ansien amnesia induced by acu e scopolamine adminis a ion in pa adigms ela ed o spa ial, ecogni ion and a e si e memo y, and analyzed he neu ochemical co ela es behind he obse ed beha io s using a pha macological app oach by au o adiog aphic assays. 2. Ma e ial and me hods 2.1. Reagen s and d ugs All he compounds necessa y o he di e en p ocedu es we e o he highes quali y comme cially a ailable o he pu pose o ou s udies. [ 3 H]CP55,940 (149 Ci/mmol) and [ 35 S]GTPγS (1250 Ci/mmol) we e acqui ed om Re i y (Wal ham, MA, USA). The [ 3 H] mic oscales and [ 14 C] mic oscales used as s anda ds in he au o adiog aphic expe imen s we e pu chased om ARC (Ame ican Radiolabeled Chemicals, Sain Louis, MO, USA). The β- adia ion sensi i e ilms, Kodak Biomax MR, bo ine se um albumin (BSA), DL-di hio h ei ol (DTT), guanosine 5 ′ - diphospha e (GDP), guanosine 5 ′ -O-3- hio iphospha e (GTPγS), ke a- mine and xylazine we e acqui ed om Sigma-Ald ich (S Louis, MO, USA). 2-ca bamoyloxye hyl- ime hyl-azanium (Ca bachol) and ( α ,S)- α -(Hyd oxyme hyl)benzeneace ic acid (1 α ,2β,4β,5 α ,7β)-9-me hyl-3-oxa- 9-aza icyclo[3.3.1.02,4]non-7-yl es e hyd ob omide (Scopolamine) we e acqui ed om Sigma-Ald ich (S Louis, MO, USA). (11R)-2-Me hyl- 11-[(mo pholin-4-yl)me hyl]-3-(naph halene-1-ca bonyl)-9-oxa-1 aza icyclo[6.3.1.04,12]dodeca-2,4(12),5,7- e aene (WIN55,212-2) was acqui ed om Toc is (B is ol, UK). 2.2. Animals E e y e o was made o minimize animal su e ing and o use he minimum numbe o animals possible h oughou he whole s udy. All p ocedu es we e pe o med in acco dance wi h Eu opean animal esea ch laws (Di ec i e, 2010/63/EU) and he Spanish Na ional p o- ocols and we e app o ed by he Local E hical Commi ee o Animal Resea ch o he Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y (CEEA M20-2018-52 and 54 and M20/2023/352). Male Sp ague-Dawley a s (n =90) weighing 200–300 g we e housed in g oups o 3–4 pe cage a a empe a u e o 22 ◦C and in a humidi y- con olled (65 %) oom wi h a 12:12 h ligh /da k cycle, wi h access o ood and wa e ad libi um. These a s we e adminis e ed wi h scopol- amine/ ehicle and WIN55,212-2/ ehicle and we e used o he pe - o mance o he di e en beha io al es s. A ep esen a i e sample o he b ains om all g oups o a s which pe o med he beha io al es s we e also used o au o adiog aphic s udies (n =35). A e he pe o - mance o he beha io al es s and be o e he au o adiog aphic s udies, a s we e anes he ized (i.p. ke amine/xylazine 90/10 mg/kg), sac i iced by decapi a ion and he b ains we e ca e ully emo ed om he skull be o e being ozen and s o ed a −80 ◦C, un il use. 2.3. Beha io al es s 2.3.1. Ba nes maze es The es was conduc ed on a whi e ci cula pla o m (130 cm diame e , 1 m abo e he loo ) wi h 20 equally spaced holes. Only one hole led o a da k escape chambe benea h he pla o m. B igh ligh s placed a ound he pla o m c ea ed an unpleasan a mosphe e, encou aging a s o ind he a ge hole. Visual cues on he walls helped wi h spa ial o ien a ion. The es had wo phases o e i e days: acquisi ion (4 days) and p obe ial (day 5). Du ing acquisi ion, a s we e placed on he pla o m, gi en 3 min o ind he a ge hole, and we e guided o i i hey ailed. Fou ials we e conduc ed daily wi h 15 min o in e - ial in e als. On he i h day, he day a e he las acquisi ion ial, a single 180 s p obe ial was pe o med, whe e memo y e en ion was es ed wi hou he escape box p esen . In his phase, he pla o m was i ually di ided in o ou quad an s and he ime spen by he a s in he a ge quad an , whe e he escape box was p e iously loca ed, was measu ed as indica- i e o spa ial memo y. A acking sys em (SMART, Panlab S.L., Ba ce- lona, Spain) was used o eco d la ency, pa h leng h, and speed du ing he acquisi ion phase, while quad an ime was used o assess spa ial memo y du ing he p obe ial. 2.3.2. No el objec ecogni ion es The es was conduc ed in a whi e open- ield a ena (90 ×90 ×50 cm) (Panlab S.L., Ba celona, Spain). I included ou phases o e i e days: habi ua ion (3 days), amilia iza ion, sho - e m es ing (5 h la e ), and long- e m es ing (24 h la e ). Be o e each phase, a s we e handled gen ly o 1 min. Du ing habi ua ion phase, a s explo ed he a ena o 5 min. In he amilia - iza ion phase, wo iden ical objec s (objec A) we e placed in opposi e co ne s o he a ena. Ra s explo ed hem un il a combined 25-s explo- a ion h eshold was eached. In sho - e m es ing, a s we e p esen ed wi h he amilia objec (A) and a new objec (B) o 5 min. Long- e m es ing, conduc ed 24 h a e he amilia iza ion phase, in ol ed he amilia objec (A) and ano he new objec (C). A ideo came a eco ded a beha io , and explo a ion imes o bo h amilia and no el objec s we e measu ed as indica i e o ecogni ion memo y. The objec disc imina ion a io (DR) was calcula ed, wi h sco es nea ze o indi- ca ing no p e e ence, nega i e sco es indica ing a p e e ence o he amilia objec , and posi i e sco es indica ing p e e ence o he no el objec . 2.3.3. Passi e a oidance es The beha io al es was conduc ed in a shu le box (PanLab S.L. Ba celona, Spain) wi h wo compa men s: a la ge , b igh ly li , whi e compa men (31 ×31 ×24 cm) and a smalle , da k, black compa men (19.5 ×10.8 ×12 cm), sepa a ed by a guillo ine doo . The es had wo phases: acquisi ion and e en ion. Be o e each phase, a s we e habi ua ed o he expe imen al oom. In he acquisi ion phase (day 1), a s explo ed he whi e compa men o 30 s be o e he doo o he black compa men opened. Upon ins inc i ely c ossing in o he black compa men , he doo closed, and a mild oo shock (0.4 mA M. Mo eno-Rod íguez e al. Eu opean Jou nal o Pha macology 998 (2025) 177612 2 o 2 s) was adminis e ed. Ra s emained in he black compa men o 15 s be o e being e u ned o hei cage. The shu le box was sani ized wi h e hanol (70 %) be ween ials. Ra s ha did no c oss in o he black compa men in his phase we e excluded om he es . In he e en ion phase (day 2), a s we e again placed in he whi e compa men , and a e 30 s, he doo o he black compa men opened. Ra s had 5 min o decide whe he o c oss; hose ha c ossed ecei ed no shock. The beha io o he a s was eco ded wi h a ideo came a posi ioned abo e he shu le box, wi h acquisi ion la ency (day 1) and s ep- h ough la- ency (day 2) measu ed. Longe la encies in he e en ion phase indi- ca ed a passi e a oidance esponse, e lec ing posi i e pe o mance. 2.3.4. Ho pla e es The es was pe o med in a ho pla e appa a us (Leica Biosys ems, Ba celona, Spain) consis ing in a cylind ical see- h ough Plexiglas wall (19 ×30 cm) loca ed abo e a pla e. The pla e wa ms h ough an elec ic esis ance and is equipped wi h a ime and a he mos a . On he op o he cylinde , a me al g id is loca ed o hold he a when i jumps. Ra s we e placed on he me al pla e, which was p e iously wa med (55 ±0.5 ◦C). The ime spen by he a s un il jumping was eco ded (jump la ency). The la ency o paw-licking was also measu ed. Bo h pa ame e s, ollowing a noxious he mal s imulus, we e used as indic- a i e o nocicep i e h eshold. 2.3.5. Elec ical shock e oked pain h eshold The p ocedu e was pe o med in he same shu le box used o he PA es . This appa a us has a g id loo and elec ical oo shocks o di e en po ency can be deli e ed. Ra s we e placed in he whi e compa men and ecei ed mild oo shocks, beginning a 0.0 mA, g adually inc easing by 0.05 mA, un il he i s ocaliza ion was measu ed, which is an indica i e o nocicep ion and discom o . 2.4. WIN55,212-2 adminis a ion in a pha macological model o musca inic an agonism Scopolamine was dissol ed in saline 0.9 % and was adminis e ed in ape i oneally (2 mg/kg), 30 min be o e he pe o mance o he PA es acquisi ion phase, he NORT es sho and long- e m es ing phases and he BM p obe ial phase. Con ol g oup ecei ed ehicle wi hou scopolamine. Fo he e alua ion o he e ec o a cannabinoid ea men in he amnesic e ec s elici ed by scopolamine, WIN55,212-2 was in ape i o- neally adminis e ed once daily (0.5 mg/kg), 1 h be o e e e y phase o each es . WIN55,212-2 was dissol ed in pu e DMSO and dilu ed wi h kollipho and 0.9 % saline, in a 1:1:18 p opo ion. Con ol g oup ecei ed ehicle wi hou WIN55,212-2. Ra s we e andomly di ided in o ou g oups o each es : ehicle (VEH), WIN55,212-2 (WIN), scopolamine (SCOP) and WIN55,212-2 +scopolamine (WIN +SCOP). 2.5. Au o adiog aphic s udies 2.5.1. Func ional [ 35 S]GTPγS au o adiog aphy Fo he pe o mance o unc ional au o adiog aphy o s udy musca- inic and cannabinoid ecep o s ac i i y, b ain sec ions we e ai d ied o 30 min, ollowed by wo consecu i e incuba ions o 30 min each in an HEPES-based bu e (50 mM HEPES, 100 mM NaCl, 3 mM MgCl 2 , 0.2 mM EGTA and 0.5 % BSA, pH 7.4) a 30 ◦C o emo e he endogenous ligands. Slices we e hen incuba ed o 2 h a 30 ◦C in he same bu e supplemen ed wi h 2 mM GDP, 1 mM DTT and 0.04 nM [ 35 S]GTPγS. Basal binding was de e mined in wo consecu i e slices in he absence o he agonis . The agonis -s imula ed binding was de e mined in ano he consecu i e slice in he p esence o he co esponding ecep o agonis s, ca bachol (10 μ M) o musca inic ecep o s and WIN55,212-2 (10 μ M) o cannabinoid ecep o s. Non-speci ic binding was de ined by compe i ion wi h unlabeled GTPγS (10 μ M) in ano he sec ion. Tissue slices we e inally washed wice in cold (4 ◦C) HEPES (50 mM) bu e (pH 7.4), d ied and exposed o 48 h o β- adia ion sensi i e ilms wi h a se o [ 14 C] s anda ds calib a ed o [ 35 S]. Calib a ed ilms we e scanned and quan i ied using Fiji so wa e. Da a was exp essed as he % o s imula ion o e basal. 2.5.2. [ 3 H]CP55,940 ecep o au o adiog aphy Fo he pe o mance o cannabinoid ecep o s au o adiog aphy, b ain sec ions we e ai d ied o 30 min and hen imme sed in Coplin ja s o p eincuba ion in a bu e con aining 50 mM T is-HCl and 1 % o BSA (pH 7.4) o 30 min, a oom empe a u e, o emo e endogenous ligands. Tissue slices we e la e incuba ed in he p esence o he [ 3 H] CP55,940 adioligand (3 nM) o 2 h a 37 ◦C. Non-speci ic binding was measu ed by compe i ion wi h non-labeled CP55,940 (10 μ M) in ano he consecu i e slice. Following he incuba ion, issue slices we e washed wi h an ice-cold p eincuba ion bu e , dipped in dis illed wa e and d ied o e nigh . To gene a e au o adiog ams, d y sec ions we e exposed o β- adia ion-sensi i e ilms in he me ically closed casse es o 21 days a 4 ◦C. Fo he calib a ion o he op ical densi ies o mol/mg issue equi alen , [ 3 H] mic oscales we e exposed o he ilms. Calib a ed ilms we e scanned and quan i ied using Fiji so wa e (Fiji, Be hesda, MD, USA). Da a was exp essed as mol/g o issue equi alen ( .e.). 2.6. S a is ical analysis Da a om beha iou al es s was analyzed using a Mann-Whi ney es o wo g oups and K uskal-Wallis es ollowed by Dunn’s pos hoc es o mo e han wo g oups. Repea ed measu es wo-way ANOVA ol- lowed by pos -hoc es Bon e oni’s was used o epea ed measu es o he same pa ame e in di e en days ( o al la ency, o al pa h leng h and speed in BM es ). S ep- h ough la ency imes o PA es we e ep e- sen ed as Kaplan-Meie su i al cu es and analyzed using a log- ank/ Man el–Cox es , as p e iously desc ibed by ou g oup (Llo en e-O eje o e al., 2017; Bengoe xea de Tena e al., 2022). Da a om au o adio- g aphic assays was analyzed using a Mann-Whi ney es . The h eshold o s a is ical signi icance was se a p <0.05. Besides ha , d , F and H alues a e p o ided in he igu e legends, whe e necessa y. S a is ical analyses and da a ep esen a ion we e pe o med using G aphPad P ism 9 (G aphPad So wa e, Bos on, MA, USA). 3. Resul s 3.1. WIN55,212-2 p e en s scopolamine-induced amnesia in a spa ial memo y es BM es was pe o med o e alua e he e ec o WIN55,212-2 in p e en ing scopolamine-induced impai men o spa ial memo y. Th oughou he ou days o acquisi ion, bo h WIN55,212-2 and ehicle- ea ed g oups dec eased he o al la ency and he o al pa h leng h (Fig. 1A and B). On he i s ial, his pa ame e was signi ican ly highe in he WIN55,212-2- ea ed g oup (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 1A), indica ing a sligh delay in he lea ning cu e. The a e age speed inc eased in each ial o bo h g oups, bu WIN55,212-2- ea ed a s walked mo e slowly han ehicle- ea ed ones o e all (VEH s. WIN, p < 0.05; Fig. 1C). On p obe ial, a e he las aining day, he la ency in he a ge quad an was measu ed as an indica o o spa ial memo y in all g oups. The adminis a ion o WIN55,212-2 o con ol a s did no p oduce an impai men in spa ial memo y (VEH s. WIN, p >0.05; Fig. 2A). Scopolamine- ea ed a s spen a signi ican ly lowe ime in he a ge quad an (VEH s. SCOP, p <0.001; Fig. 2A), indica ing spa ial memo y de ici s ollowing i s adminis a ion. Impo an ly, a subch onic ea - men wi h WIN55,212-2 p e en ed he amnesic e ec exe ed by scopolamine in BM es (SCOP s. SCOP +WIN, p <0.01; Fig. 2A). Conside ing he posi i e e ec s o a cannabinoid ea men in BM, we analyzed i s e ec on p e en ing he amnesic e ec s induced by M. Mo eno-Rod íguez e al. Eu opean Jou nal o Pha macology 998 (2025) 177612 3 scopolamine in o he memo y es s, including he no el objec ecog- ni ion es (NORT) and passi e a oidance (PA) es . 3.2. E ec o a cannabinoid ea men on a pha macological model o musca inic an agonism in ecogni ion memo y Recogni ion memo y was e alua ed a wo di e en ime poin s, sho (5 h pos - amilia iza ion) and long- e m (24 h pos - amilia iza ion). In he sho - e m es , he ea men wi h WIN55,212- 2 impai ed memo y in con ol a s (VEH s. WIN, p <0.001; Fig. 3A). No ably, he adminis a ion o scopolamine did no signi ican ly dec ease he DR (VEH s. SCOP, p >0.05; Fig. 3A). In he long- e m, he subch onic ea men wi h WIN55,212-2 also showed a dele e ious e ec on memo y in con ol a s (VEH s. WIN, p < 0.05; Fig. 3B). In con as o wha was obse ed in he sho - e m es , he adminis a ion o scopolamine also caused a signi ican dec ease in he DR (VEH s. SCOP, p <0.01; Fig. 3B), indica ing memo y impai - men ollowing he adminis a ion o a musca inic an agonis in long- Fig. 1. E ec o WIN55,212-2 on locomo ion and lea ning in BM es . (A) To al la ency du ing he ou days o lea ning o BM es . No signi ican di e ences we e obse ed be ween VEH and WIN g oups compa ing bo h cu es, bu signi ican di e ences we e obse ed be ween he wo g oups in he i s ial (Repea ed measu es wo-way ANOVA, pos -hoc es Bon e oni’s, d =1, F =4.51, #p <0.05, VEH s. WIN). (B) To al pa h leng h du ing he ou days o lea ning o BM es . No signi ican di e ences we e obse ed be ween VEH and WIN g oups compa ing bo h cu es (Repea ed measu es wo-way ANOVA, pos -hoc es Bon e oni’s, d =1, F =1.15). (C) Mean speed du ing he ou days o lea ning o BM es . Signi ican di e ences we e obse ed be ween VEH and WIN g oups compa ing bo h cu es (Repea ed measu es wo-way ANOVA, pos -hoc es Bon e oni’s, d =1, F =7.24, #p <0.05, VEH s. WIN). Fig. 2. WIN55,212-2 p e en s he scopolamine-induced impai men o spa ial memo y. (A) Time spen in he a ge quad an on he p obe ial day o BM es (K uskal–Wallis’s es , pos -hoc es Dunn’s mul iple compa ison, d =3, H =19.36, ***p <0.001 VEH s. SCOP, $$ p <0.01 SCOP s. SCOP +WIN). (B) Rep esen a i e ajec o ies o a s om each g oup du ing 180 s in he p obe ial day o BM es . No e he accumula ion o ajec o ies in he a ge quad an (whe e he a ge hole is loca ed, depic ed in black in he igu e) o VEH, WIN and SCOP +WIN g oups, as opposed o SCOP g oup. M. Mo eno-Rod íguez e al. Eu opean Jou nal o Pha macology 998 (2025) 177612 4 e m ecogni ion and wo king memo y, bu no in sho - e m one. The adminis a ion o WIN55,212-2 o a s ha also ecei ed scopolamine only p oduced a sligh inc ease in he DR and did no p e en o e e se he obse ed memo y de ici s (SCOP s. SCOP +WIN, p >0.05; Fig. 3B). 3.3. E ec o a cannabinoid ea men on a pha macological model o musca inic an agonism in an a e si e memo y es The adminis a ion o scopolamine impai ed bo h acquisi ion la ency (VEH s. SCOP, p <0.01, Fig. 4A) and s ep- h ough la ency ime (VEH s. SCOP, p <0.001, Fig. 4B), p o oking ansien memo y de ici s. The cannabinoid ea men wi h WIN55,212-2 alone did no a ec acquisi- ion la ency, bu dec eased he s ep- h ough la ency ime (VEH s. WIN, p <0.01, Fig. 4B). The subch onic adminis a ion o WIN55,212-2 did no p e en he amnesic e ec o scopolamine obse ed in he s ep- h ough la ency ime (SCOP s. SCOP +WIN, p >0.05, Fig. 4B). Conside ing he analgesic e ec s o cannabinoid agonis s (Manzana es e al., 2006), we hypo hesized ha dec eased pain sensi- i i y ollowing he WIN55,212-2 adminis a ion could be a bias in he e ec o he ea men obse ed in PA es . Thus, we measu ed he e ec o his ea men on pain esponse using he ho pla e es . We obse ed ha WIN55,212-2 ea men p oduced analgesia, as indica ed by he inc eases in he jump la ency (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05, Fig. 5A) and he la ency o licked paw (VEH s. WIN, p <0.01, Fig. 5B). We also measu ed pain esponse using a p o ocol designed o e alua e noci- cep ion p oduced by an elec ical shock in PA es , he elec ical shock e oked pain h eshold, and we obse ed ha he g oup o a s ea ed wi h WIN55,212-2 equi ed a highe shock in ensi y o e oke a i s ocaliza ion (VEH 0.0375 ±0.0082 mA s. WIN 0.0714 ±0.0101 mA, p <0.01), also indica ing an analgesic e ec o he cannabinoid ea men . These esul s indica e a possible bias o he esul s ob ained in PA es ollowing he WIN55,212-2 adminis a ion. 3.4. The subch onic WIN55,212-2 adminis a ion al e ed musca inic and cannabinoid ecep o ac i i y The e ec o WIN55,212-2 adminis a ion on musca inic and cannabinoid ecep o s was s udied o elucida e he neu ochemical co - ela es behind he obse ed beha io s. The densi y and ac i i y o musca inic and cannabinoid ecep o s was analyzed by means o au o- adiog aphy in a s ha had pe o med BM es , gi en he posi i e e ec exe ed by he ea men in his es . Conside ing ha scopolamine was Fig. 3. E ec o WIN55,212-2 in a model o musca inic an agonism in ecogni ion memo y in he sho - e m and he long- e m. (A) Disc imina ion a io in he sho - e m es ing phase o NORT (K uskal–Wallis’s es , pos -hoc es Dunn’s mul iple compa ison, d =3, H =7.29, ###p <0.001 VEH s. WIN). (B) Disc imina ion a io in he long- e m es ing phase o NORT (K uskal–Wallis’s es , pos -hoc es Dunn’s mul iple compa ison, d =3, H =16.56, **p <0.01 VEH s. SCOP, #p <0.05 VEH s. WIN). Fig. 4. T ea men wi h WIN55,212-2 in a model o musca inic an agonism e alua ed in PA es . (A) Acquisi ion la ency imes in he lea ning ial o he PA es (K uskal–Wallis’s es , pos -hoc es Dunn’s mul iple compa ison, d =3, H =7.47, **p <0.01, VEH s. SCOP). (B) S ep- h ough la ency imes o PA es ep esen ed as Kaplan-Meie su i al cu es (log- ank/Man el–Cox es , ***p <0.001 VEH s. SCOP, ##p <0.01 VEH s. WIN, $$$ p <0.001 VEH s. SCOP +WIN). The median la ency was 24.55 s o SCOP g oup, 256.00 s o WIN g oup and 48.00 s o SCOP +WIN g oup. M. Mo eno-Rod íguez e al. Eu opean Jou nal o Pha macology 998 (2025) 177612 5 adminis e ed acu ely and gi en i s as exc e ion and low bioa ailabili y (Tian e al., 2015), he au o adiog aphy da a only ep esen s he e ec o he WIN55,212-2 ea men . The [ 35 S]GTPγS binding s imula ed by ca bachol, an agonis o musca inic ecep o s, was measu ed in b ain a eas ela ed o lea ning and memo y o localize and de e mine he ac i i y o G i/o p o eins coupled o M 2 /M 4 ecep o s (Fig. 6). No di e ences we e obse ed be- ween he g oups ea ed wi h ehicle and WIN55,212-2 in basal bind- ing, i.e, [ 35 S]GTPγS binding in he absence o he agonis . The G i/o - coupled M 2 /M 4 ecep o ac i i y induced by ca bachol was inc eased in he WIN55,212-2- ea ed g oup in laye s I-V o he mo o co ex (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 6, Table 1), in some o he sep al nuclei, he medial sep um and he ho izon al diagonal band (VEH s. WIN, p < 0.05; Fig. 6, Table 1), and in he py amidal laye o he CA3 egion o he hippocampus (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 6, Table 1). The [ 35 S]GTPγS binding s imula ed by WIN55,212-2 was measu ed in b ain a eas ela ed o lea ning and memo y o localize and de e mine he ac i i y o cannabinoid ecep o s (Fig. 7). The ac i i y media ed by G i/o -coupled cannabinoid ecep o s was inc eased ollowing he WIN55,212-2 ea men in se e al a eas ela ed o lea ning and memo y p ocesses, such as laye s I-V o he mo o co ex (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 7, Table 1), he s ia um (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 7, Table 1), he e ical diagonal band (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 7, Table 1), he adia um and o iens laye s o he hippocampus CA1 egion (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 7, Table 1), he hippocampus CA3 egion (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 7, Table 1), he adia um laye o he hippocampus CA3 egion (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 7, Table 1) and he den a e gy us (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 7, Table 1). The densi y o cannabinoid ecep o s was also s udied in he same b ain a eas by [ 3 H]CP55,940 binding (Fig. 8). The ea men wi h he cannabinoid agonis WIN55,212-2 inc eased cannabinoid ecep o s densi y in laye VI o he mo o co ex (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 8, Table 2) and in laye VI o he soma osenso y co ex (VEH s. WIN, p < 0.05; Fig. 8, Table 2). In con as , cannabinoid densi y dec eased in he den a e gy us (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 8, Table 2) and in he py- amidal laye o he hippocampus CA1 egion (VEH s. WIN, p <0.05; Fig. 8, Table 2). 4. Discussion Conside ing he egula o y ole o he eCB sys em o e lea ning and memo y asks con olled by choline gic neu o ansmission, we ha e e alua ed he e ec o a subch onic ea men wi h po en cannabinoid ecep o agonis WIN55,212-2 in p e en ing ansi o y amnesia caused by scopolamine. As expec ed, scopolamine impai ed memo y in h ee lea ning and memo y beha io es s compa ed o a saline g oup (Malikowska-Racia e al., 2018). The acu e pha macological model o choline gic blockade wi h scopolamine is well-cha ac e ized and used in he s udy o nume ous an i-amnesic d ugs (Akinyemi e al., 2017; El-Khad agy e al., 2014; Ma isco e al., 2013). Ou esul s a e consis en wi h da a epo ed in he li e a u e; howe e , we obse ed ha p e- ea men wi h scopolamine did no signi ican ly dis up sho - e m ecogni ion memo y in NORT. This obse a ion con as s wi h o he s udies indica ing ha musca inic an agonis s impai he acquisi ion and pe o mance o a ious lea ned beha io s, including sho - e m memo y (Balde as e al., 2012; Fibige e al., 1991; Palme e al., 2016). Howe e , ou own p e ious esul s showed sho - e m memo y was no a ec ed in NORT a e a basal choline gic lesion, when baso-co ical choline gic neu o ansmission was diminished (Mo eno-Rod íguez e al., 2025). I is also in line wi h a s udy epo ing ha educed ACh elease delays speci ically he consolida ion o objec ecogni ion memo y (De Jaege e al., 2013). Ou indings sugges ha blocking he choline gic signaling is c ucial o long- e m, bu no sho - e m, ecogni ion memo y. WIN55,212-2 alone induced simila cogni i e impai men in NORT and PA as scopolamine did, bu no in BM. The con adic o y e ec s o a ela i ely low dose o WIN55,212-2 (0.5 mg/kg) obse ed in BM, NORT and PA es s sugges di e en sen- si i i ies o cannabinoid e ec s depending on he ype o memo y assessed, i.e. spa ial memo y, ecogni ion and con ex ual memo y and a e si e o ea - ela ed memo y. P e ious epo s a e somewha con- adic o y, simila doses o WIN55,212-2 acili a ed he ex inc ion o con ex ual ea and spa ial memo y (Pamplona e al., 2006). Howe e , di e en sensi i i ies o he e ec s media ed by cannabinoid ecep o s depending on he ype o memo y ha e been desc ibed (Li and Kim, 2016). Al hough he de imen al e ec o cannabinoid agonism on memo y is well s udied and p o en, he unde lying mechanisms emain unclea . He e we demons a ed ha subch onic adminis a ion o a low dose o WIN55,212-2 (0.5 mg/kg) p e en ed he amnesic e ec s o scopol- amine in spa ial lea ning and memo y in he BM es , bu no in NORT es . Impo an ly, WIN55,212-2 alone, a his dose, did no induce de imen al e ec s on memo y in BM es , bu i did in NORT. In o he s udies, low doses o THC es o ed age- ela ed cogni i e dys unc ion by modula ing hippocampus-dependen memo y p ocesses (Bilkei-Go zo e al., 2017; Sa ne e al., 2018). While da a sugges Fig. 5. Analgesic e ec o WIN55,212-2 in he ho pla e es . (A) Jump la ency in he ho pla e es (Mann Whi ney es , #p <0.05 VEH s. WIN). (B) La ency o licked paw in he ho pla e es (Mann Whi ney es , ##p <0.01 VEH s. WIN). Fig. 6. Rep esen a i e au o adiog ams showing he ac i i y o M 2 /M 4 e- cep o s. Co onal sec ions co esponding o (A) VEH and (B) WIN g oups showing [ 35 S]GTPγS binding s imula ed by ca bachol in he ho izon al diagonal band (HDB), laye s I-V o he mo o co ex (Mo Cx I-V), medial sep um (MS) and he hippocampus (HPC). Scale ba : 4 mm. M. Mo eno-Rod íguez e al. Eu opean Jou nal o Pha macology 998 (2025) 177612 6 c oss-s a e-dependen lea ning be ween WIN55,212-2 and scopolamine (Jamali-Raeu y e al., 2011), he di e en ial sensi i i y o cannabinoids may be elucida ed by explo ing he mechanisms h ough which scopolamine induces memo y loss. Scopolamine is a non-selec i e musca inic ecep o an agonis , which educes ACh binding o he musca inic ecep o s and leads o memo y de ici s (Blokland, 1995). I mainly a ec s choline gic ansmission a he basal o eb ain, mo o co ex, globus pallidus, hippocampus, pe i hinal co ex and amygdala. Howe e , choline ace yl ans e ase (ChAT) le els seem o be a ec ed speci ically in he hippocampus and amygdala (Hescham e al., 2014; Ray e al., 1992). Scopolamine can dec ease co ical ACh le els by 52 % and hippocampal ACh le els by 39 % (Spignoli e al., 1987). Se e al s udies ha e shown ha cholines e ase inhibi o s, which inc ease ACh le els a he synapse (Pa anashe i e al., 2017; Sadek e al., 2016; Shin e al., 2018) o na u al compounds ha also inc ease ACh le els (Laza o a e al., 2024; Te alı e al., 2024), p e en he amnesic e ec s o Table 1 [ 35 S]GTPγS binding o ca bachol-s imula ed and WIN55,212-2-s imula ed ecep o ac i i y exp essed as he pe cen age o s imula ion o e basal, in di e en b ain a eas ela ed o lea ning and memo y. Ca bachol s imula ion (% o e basal) WIN55,212-2 s imula ion (% o e basal) B ain egion VEH WIN VEH WIN Ce eb al co ex             Cingula e 102 ±21 115 ±19 248 ±36 298 ±55 Mo o             Laye I-V 88 ±16 154 ±17* 216 ±41 405 ±72* Laye VI 169 ±21 154 ±34 353 ±51 354 ±39 Soma osenso y             Laye I-V 156 ±28 164 ±53 156 ±47 259 ±41 Laye VI 178 ±21 194 ±38 353 ±66 378 ±96 Basal ganglia             Globus pallidus 76 ±33 116 ±75 874 ±115 890 ±103 S ia um 221 ±22 188 ±26 452 ±57 738 ±143* Diencephalon             NBM 129 ±26 195 ±35 231 ±51 277 ±46 HDB 139 ±23 244 ±37* 230 ±40 257 ±48 VDB 247 ±22 250 ±36 224 ±58 613 ±179* Medial sep um 268 ±27 374 ±43* 206 ±37 356 ±61 Hippocampus             CA1 56 ±17 62 ±17 104 ±27 175 ±22 O iens 51 ±16 64 ±23 17 ±5 62 ±12* Py amidal 65 ±15 88 ±46 230 ±41 312 ±93 Radia um 39 ±7 49 ±8 137 ±23 350 ±87* CA2 50 ±9 47 ±11 199 ±45 234 ±49 CA3 48 ±5 36 ±6 276 ±42 425 ±58* O iens 64 ±23 67 ±18 58 ±19 57 ±12 Py amidal 25 ±19 95 ±29* 305 ±110 323 ±130 Radia um 34 ±9 30 ±8 74 ±21 184 ±44* Den a e gy us 37 ±7 48 ±13 277 ±51 484 ±66* G anula 38 ±10 42 ±17 318 ±101 398 ±104 Molecula 40 ±8 34 ±11 174 ±38 308 ±90 Polymo phic 27 ±10 27 ±6 324 ±45 338 ±76 Amygdala 98 ±18 75 ±31 213 ±59 407 ±87 HDB: ho izon al diagonal band, NBM: nucleus basalis magnocellula is, VDB: e ical diagonal band. Da a a e exp essed as mean ±S.E.M. alues om VEH and WIN g oups. VEH s. WIN (*). Mann-Whi ney es , *p <0.05. Fig. 7. Rep esen a i e au o adiog ams showing he ac i i y o cannabinoid ecep o s e oked by WIN55,212-2. Co onal sec ions co esponding o (A) VEH and (B) WIN g oups showing [ 35 S]GTPγS binding s imula ed by WIN55,212-2 in he e ical diagonal band (VDB), laye s I-V o he mo o co ex (Mo Cx I- V), he s ia um (STR) and he hippocampus (HPC). Scale ba : 4 mm. Fig. 8. Rep esen a i e au o adiog ams showing he densi y o cannabinoid ecep o s. Co onal sec ions co esponding o (A) VEH and (B) WIN g oups showing [ 3 H]CP55,940 binding in laye s I-V o he mo o co ex (Mo Cx I-V) and in laye VI o he soma osenso y co ex. Scale ba : 4 mm. M. Mo eno-Rod íguez e al. Eu opean Jou nal o Pha macology 998 (2025) 177612 7 scopolamine. Howe e , he e ec i eness o memo y imp o emen is dependen on he dose o scopolamine adminis e ed (Beja e al., 1999), sugges ing ha he le els o ACh in he synap ic cle a e impo an o he e ec o scopolamine. In his sense, i is al eady desc ibed ha cannabinoids, including WIN55,212-2, modula e ACh elease in he hippocampus and co ex (Gessa e al., 1997, 1998; Mo eno-Rod íguez e al., 2025; Na a e al., 2001; Tza a a e al., 2003). WIN55,212-2 can also mi iga e he oxici y induced on he cholin- e gic sys em ollowing ace ylcholines e ase inhibi ion (Nallapaneni e al., 2006, 2008). The e o e, we hypo hesise ha he WIN55, 212-2-media ed inc ease in ACh could po en ially compensa e o he acu e educ ion in co ical and hippocampal ACh le els induced by scopolamine (Spignoli e al., 1987), as we ha e p e iously desc ibed in co ical a eas (Mo eno-Rod íguez e al., 2025). In addi ion, WIN55, 212–2 may induce memo y de ici s i sel due o an excessi e inc ease in ACh le els, as ecen e idence sugges s (Huang e al., 2022), among o he mechanisms. Howe e , he mechanism by which he same doses o cannabinoid agonis s p o ec agains scopolamine-induced cogni i e impai men in he BM while showing no e ec on NORT emains un- clea . While BM and NORT a e bo h hippocampus-dependen es s, BM may equi e highe modula ion o ACh o acili a e p ecise na iga ion and spa ial memo y, whe eas NORT may be mo e sensi i e o mode a e le els o ACh o he e ec i e p ocessing o isual in o ma ion and ecogni ion memo y (An unes and Biala, 2012; Haam and Yakel, 2017; Pi s, 2018). The le els o ACh equi ed o eco e y om scopolamine-induced impai men in he BM may, hus, be excessi e o NORT. Rega ding he hi d es pe o med in his s udy, PA, he dele e ious e ec s o cannabinoids on a e si e memo y a e well known and ha e been p e iously desc ibed (Jamali-Raeu y e al., 2011). Howe e , cannabinoid compounds also a ec he ascending and descending pa hways ha egula e pain pe cep ion (S a owicz and Finn, 2017). This is ele an , conside ing he a e si e s imulus (a mild oo shock) inhe en o his ask (Bengoe xea de Tena e al., 2022). Indeed, ou e- sul s indica e ha WIN55,212-2 a his dose al e ed pain sensi i i y in a s, likely in luencing he lea ning and memo y ou comes in he PA es . Finally, ou subch onic ea men wi h WIN55,212-2 also modi ied mo o ac i i y. The animals ea ed wi h WIN55,212-2 mo ed mo e slowly compa ed o hose ea ed wi h ehicle. Howe e , he unchanged o al pa h leng h du ing aining in BM es sugges s ha his educ ion in mo emen did no a ec spa ial acquisi ion. Choline gic dene a ion o he o eb ain enhances locomo o ac i i y (Ma sson e al., 2002). Addi ionally, ACh elease in he s ia um, hippocampus, and on al co ex co ela es wi h locomo ion (Day e al., 1991), sugges ing ha he s a us o he choline gic sys em a ec s mo o ac i i y. The opposi e e - ec , a educ ion in locomo o ac i i y ollowing WIN55,212-2 admin- is a ion, has also been desc ibed (Comp on e al., 1992). The capaci y o cannabinoids o modula e mo o ac i i y, as well as cogni ion, may be a ibu ed, a leas pa ly, o al e a ions in co ical choline gic neu o- ansmission. The esul s om he au o adiog aphic assays in a s ha comple ed he BM es suppo his hypo hesis. Following he WIN55, 212-2 ea men , he ac i i y o musca inic M 2 /M 4 ecep o s speci - ically inc eased in pa s o he mo o co ex and he hippocampus. These esul s appa en ly con as wi h o he s ha show WIN55,212-2 ea - men leading o a dec ease in M 2 ecep o densi ies (Schul e e al., 2012) and a down- egula ion o M 2 /M 4 ecep o s in animals wi h high le els o ACh in he hippocampus (du Bois e al., 2005). In speci ic laye s o hese same a eas, he densi y and ac i i y o cannabinoid ecep o s was also modula ed ollowing WIN55,212-2 adminis a ion. In his ega d, he use o a non-selec i e cannabinoid ecep o agonis does no allow o di e en ia e whe he his modula ion is a ibu ed o CB 1 o CB 2 e- cep o s. Ne e heless, he densi y o he i s one is much highe in key b ain a eas ela ed wi h lea ning and memo y p ocesses, and pa icu- la ly in he co ex (Chen e al., 2017; Llo en e-O eje o e al., 2022). Hence, while he con ibu ion o CB 2 ecep o sub ype o he obse ed e ec s canno be disca ded, a majo i y o i migh de i e om he mos densely exp essed sub ype, CB 1 . As p e iously men ioned, he ac i a ion o hese cannabinoid e- cep o s igge s an inc ease in ACh le els, by mobilizing speci ic choline- con aining phospholipids which could explain he enhanced musca inic ecep o ac i i y (Mo eno-Rod íguez e al., 2025). We hypo hesise ha his inc ease was enough o coun e ac he e ec s o scopolamine in BM es , bu i was excessi e o NORT. Ou g oup has p e iously desc ibed he posi i e e ec s o WIN55,212-2 in he BM. We demons a ed ha ollowing he same WIN55,212-2 ea men , ACh le els we e inc eased in a dose-dependen manne in he co ex and es o ed co ical cholin- e gic neu o ansmission a e a basal o eb ain choline gic lesion (Mo eno-Rod íguez e al., 2025). Based on he esul s om his s udy, whe e he same p o ocol o WIN55,212-2 adminis a ion and pe o - mance in BM was ollowed, we p opose a simila mechanism. Since scopolamine induces an acu e educ ion o musca inic ecep o ac i i y, he p e iously ele a ed ACh le els caused by WIN55,212-2 ea men p e en scopolamine om exe ing dele e ious cogni i e e ec s. The di e en ial e ec obse ed ollowing he ea men in BM and NORT es migh de i e om he dose used. Gi en ha his is a di e en pa adigm o musca inic impai men han he one used in ou p e ious s udy, he same dose o WIN55,212-2 (0.5 mg/kg) ha was enough o e e he de ici s in bo h es s could only e e hose de ici s in BM in his case. P obably, using a wide dose ange in NORT es i could be possible o also de ec an e ec i e dose o p e en scopolamine-induced memo y impai men . Table 2 Au o adiog aphic densi ies o cannabinoid ecep o s exp essed in mol/g .e., ob ained as speci ic binding o [ 3 H]CP55,940, in di e en b ain a eas ela ed o lea ning and memo y. Speci ic binding o [3H]CP55,940 ( mol/g .e.) B ain egion VEH WIN Ce eb al co ex       Cingula e 272 ±16 299 ±29 Mo o       Laye I-V 247 ±13 296 ±13 Laye VI 262 ±34 346 ±13* Soma osenso y       Laye I-V 211 ±20 212 ±20 Laye VI 194 ±31 273 ±26* Basal ganglia       Globus pallidus 1274 ±93 1314 ±121 S ia um 586 ±35 589 ±62 Diencephalon       NBM 307 ±41 325 ±41 HDB 189 ±22 172 ±32 VDB 229 ±21 250 ±23 Medial sep um 237 ±25 259 ±21 Hippocampus       CA1 413 ±16 394 ±20 O iens 435 ±29 413 ±22 Py amidal 388 ±35 301 ±24* Radia um 475 ±33 447 ±41 CA2 428 ±26 407 ±24 CA3 485 ±18 448 ±23 O iens 414 ±18 402 ±32 Py amidal 349 ±22 301 ±30 Radia um 483 ±33 454 ±31 Den a e gy us 372 ±21 293 ±15* G anula 116 ±20 117 ±22 Molecula 352 ±13 318 ±21 Polymo phic 450 ±26 438 ±31 Amygdala 202 ±23 206 ±21 HDB: ho izon al diagonal band, NBM: nucleus basalis magnocellula is, VDB: e - ical diagonal band. Da a a e exp essed as mean ±S.E.M. alues om VEH and WIN g oups. VEH s. WIN (*). Mann-Whi ney es , *p <0.05. M. Mo eno-Rod íguez e al. Eu opean Jou nal o Pha macology 998 (2025) 177612 8 5. Conclusions O e all, hese esul s sugges ha a ea men wi h WIN55,212-2 (0.5 mg/kg) can p e en he amnesic e ec s induced by scopolamine in a spa ial lea ning and memo y es like BM, bu no in a ecogni ion memo y es , such as NORT. The speci ic mechanisms unde lying his e ec emain elusi e, bu esul s sugges a di e en ial modula ion o he c oss alk be ween he eCB and he choline gic sys ems depending on he ype o memo y assessed in each es . Mo e p ecisely, he subch onic ac i a ion o cannabinoid ecep o s po en ially inc eased he choline gic one in key co ical and hippocampal a eas, jus enough o o e come he scopolamine-induced choline gic de ici in BM es . The p ospec i e clinical applica ion o his p omising expe imen al da a could be ela ed o he modula ion o he eCB sys em o he ea men o demen ias associa ed wi h a choline gic de ici , like is he case o AD. CRediT au ho ship con ibu ion s a emen Ma a Mo eno-Rod íguez: Concep ualiza ion, Da a cu a ion, Fo mal analysis, In es iga ion, Valida ion, Visualiza ion, W i ing – o iginal d a , W i ing – e iew & edi ing. Ike Bengoe xea de Tena: Concep ualiza ion, Fo mal analysis, In es iga ion, Valida ion, Visuali- za ion, W i ing – o iginal d a , W i ing – e iew & edi ing. Jona an Ma ínez-Ga deazabal: In es iga ion, W i ing – o iginal d a , W i ing – e iew & edi ing. Go ka Pe ei a-Cas elo: In es iga ion, W i ing – e iew & edi ing. Albe o Llo en e-O eje o: In es iga ion, W i ing – e iew & edi ing. I ´ an Manuel: W i ing – e iew & edi ing. Ra ael Rod íguez-Pue as: Concep ualiza ion, Da a cu a ion, Funding acqui- si ion, In es iga ion, Me hodology, P ojec adminis a ion, Resou ces, Supe ision, Valida ion, W i ing – o iginal d a , W i ing – e iew & edi ing. Da a a ailabili y The da a ha suppo he indings o his s udy a e a ailable om he co esponding au ho upon easonable eques . Funding This esea ch was inancially suppo ed by g an s om he Basque Go e nmen o he “Neu ochemis y and Neu odegene a ion” consoli- da ed esea ch g oup (IT975-16 and IT1454-22 o R.R-P), by Ins i u o de Salud Ca los III, co- unded by Eu opean Regional De elopmen Fund “A way o make Eu ope” (PI20/00153 o R.R-P) and by BIOEF unded by Ei b Ma a oia (BIO22/ALZ/010 o R.R-P). I.B.d.T was he ecipien o an In es igo ellowship unded by he Eu opean Union Nex Gene a ion. G. P-C was he ecipien o a Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y p edoc o al ellowship. J.M-G. was he ecipien o a pos doc o al p og am a he Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y. Decla a ion o compe ing in e es The au ho s decla e he ollowing inancial in e es s/pe sonal e- la ionships which may be conside ed as po en ial compe ing in e es s: Ra ael Rod iguez Pue as has pa en #T a amien o de la demencia con agonis as cannabinoides. Spain. 02-03-2017. Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y. ES2638057. issued o ES2638057. 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