Evidence That a Positive Modulator of AMPA-Type Glutamate Receptors Improves Delayed Recall in Aged Humans

Abstract Elderly subjects (65–76 years) were tested for recall of nonsense syllables prior to and after oral administration of 1-(quinoxalin-6 ylcarbonyl)piperidine (CX516), a centrally active drug that enhances currents mediated by AMPA-type glutamate receptors. A significant and positive drug effect was found for delayed (5 min) recall at 75 min posttreatment; average scores for the highest dose group were more than twofold greater than for the placebo group. The drug had no evident influence on heart rate or self-assessment of several psychological variables.