β2 adrenergic agonist, clenbuterol, enhances working memory performance in aging animals

Previous studies using a mixed β1 and β2 adrenergic antagonist, propanolol, have indicated that β adrenoceptors have little effect on the cognitive functioning of the prefrontal cortex. However, recent studies have suggested that endogenous stimulation of β1 adrenoceptors impairs working memory in both rats and monkeys. Since propanolol has no effect on cognition, we hypothesized that activation of β2 adrenoceptors might improve performance in a working memory task. We tested this hypothesis by observing the effects of the β2 agonist, clenbuterol, on spatial working memory performance. Clenbuterol was either infused directly into the prefrontal cortex (rats) or administered systemically (monkeys). Results demonstrated that clenbuterol improved performance in many young and aged rats and monkeys who performed poorly under control conditions. Actions at β2 adrenoceptors were confirmed by challenging the clenbuterol response with the β2 adrenergic antagonist, ICI 118,551. The effects of clenbuterol were not universal and depended on the cognitive status of the animal: the drug moderately improved only a subset of animals with working memory impairment.