D-serine is a ligand of the NMDA receptor glycine modulatory site, and its exogenous administration can exert anxiolytic and pro-cognitive effects. PM (from “pendulum-like movements”) rats have been selected for the presence of stereotypical hyperkinesis in the form of body and head swinging side to side. Additionally, they are characterized by an increased predisposition to audiogenic epilepsy, reduced learning abilities, and alterations in the brain glutamatergic system. The objective of this work was to study the effects of low-dose D-serine on the characteristics of audiogenic seizures, behavior in the open field, light–dark box and elevated plus maze tests, as well as spatial learning in the Barnes maze. It was shown that D-serine at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg has no effect on locomotor activity in the open field and elevated plus maze tests. In the light-dark box test, an increase in the proportion of animals displaying a D-serine-induced freezing response was found. In the Barnes maze test, the administration of 50 mg/kg D-serine did not influence either the time to find the escape box or the choice of search strategy. The most significant outcome is the fact that D-serine at a dose of 100 mg/kg reduces the predisposition of PM rats to audiogenic epilepsy, which requires further investigation.
Prokudina et al. (Sun,) studied this question.