Spatial Memory, Motor Coordination, Cerebellar and Hippocampal Histoarchitectural Changes following Atropine Administration to Adult Mice

Atropine is a non-selective muscarinic receptor antagonist. In overdoses, atropine is poisonous. It is sometimes added to potentially addictive drugs, particularly anti-diarrhoea opioid drugs such as diphenoxylate or difenoxin. The aim of this study was to investigate spatial memory and motor changes associated with varying doses (5 and 10 mg/kg body weight) ingestion of atropine, as well as its impact on the hippocampal and cerebellar histoarchitecture in mice. Fifteen BALB/c mice were divided into three groups of 5 serving as control, low dosage, and high dosage groups. Atropine at 5 and 10 mg/kg body weight was administered into low and high dosage groups, respectively. Administration of atropine in both groups showed significant histological tissue damage in the hippocampus which includes neurodegeneration of neurons and distortion of the granular layer, while no evident histomorphological change to the cerebellum was observed. Low dosage mice showed memory and motor deficit, whereas the high dosage group showed no statistically significant memory function difference with the control group. Further research is necessary to find the cause of these motor deficits.