Neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression in developing and adult human CNS.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10068309
"…Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is constitutively expressed by subpopulations of neurons in the CNS and is involved in neurotransmission, learning and memory, and neuronal injury. "
Design of Selective Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitors for the Prevention and Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1915 … d_RVDocSum
"… Nitric oxide (NO), which is produced from l-arginine by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) family of enzymes, is an important second-messenger molecule that regulates several physiological functions.
In endothelial cells, it relaxes smooth muscle, which decreases blood pressure. Macrophage cells produce NO as an immune defense system to destroy pathogens and microorganisms.
In neuronal cells, NO controls the release of neurotransmitters and is involved in synaptogenesis, synaptic plasticity, memory function, and neuroendocrine secretion."
Physiological and pathophysiological roles of nitric oxide in the central nervous system
sciencedirect.com/science?_o … 18eacfebd8
"…Nitric oxide (NO) is produced by three distinct isoforms of nitric oxide synthases in the central nervous system. Here, the roles of nitric oxide in the central nervous system are reviewed under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
Under physiological conditions, NO plays a role in the regulation of cerebral blood flow and autoregulation, blood flow-metabolism coupling, neurotransmission, memory formation, modulation of neuroendocrine functions, and behavioral activity."
Inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production selectively impairs learning and memory in the rat.
grande.nal.usda.gov/ibids/index. … herow=3599
Animals administered the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor N-w-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (NAME) for five days exhibited severe deficits in acquisition of a place-navigation learning task. The effect of NAME was selective to place-navigation learning. NAME had no effect on sensorimotor or motivational processes in a related task. These results are consistent with the view that NO participates in learning and execution of memory tasks.