Effect of Kai Xin San on Learning and Memory in a Rat Model of Paradoxical Sleep Deprivation

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of kai xin san (KXS, at doses of 500, 250, and 125 mg/kg body weight per day), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, on learning and memory in paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD)-induced cognition deficit rats. Two behavior tests (the Open Field test and the Morris water maze task) were used for testing the effects of KXS on a PSD-induced learning and memory deficit model. Furthermore, its effect on the glutamic acid (GLU) and γ-amino-butyric acid (GABA) levels in the brain tissue, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB), and phosphorylated-CREB (p-CREB) expression in the hippocampus was also tested. KXS exerted the greatest cognition against the 48 h PSD-induced cognitive deficit and these effects may be mediated by decreasing the GLU and GABA levels and increasing the levels of BDNF, CREB, and p-CREB. This study indicates that the effect of KXS on learning and memory in a rat model of PSD could be associated with the modulation of neurotransmitter levels and the expression of some genes in the brain that contribute to memory functions.