Devan, BryanEyring, Charlotte E. K.2015-12-172015-12-172013-02-212012-08TSU2012Eyringhttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/2055(M.A.) -- Towson University, 2012.Acting as agonists on the glycine site of the NMDAR system, D-Serine (DS) and D-Cycloserine (DCS) have been described as mediators of hippocampal function and therefore of learning and memory. With degradation of the hippocampus a primary factor observed in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), the present study sought to investigate whether DS and DCS could offer some cognitive benefit to patients with AD. This theory was tested using the Scopolamine (SCOP) model of AD in rats. The Competitive Place Task (CPT) water maze was used to investigate the influence of DS and DCS on learning and memory in both SCOP treated and normal rats. The CPT also allowed for exploration into the nature of the striatum and hippocampus as competing memory systems and the degree to which each of these drugs is influencing them. Results indicated that DCS but not DS was able to reverse the working and spatial memory impairment caused by SCOP. DCS was unable improve long term recall in SCOP animals and DS and DCS alone showed no cognitive benefit in normal subjects. The present study found evidence to suggest that DS may primarily be influencing the striatal but not hippocampal, a theory that is in debate.application/pdfvii, 64 pagesengCopyright protected, all rights reserved.Text