Histaminergic Modulation of Recognition Memory

All histamine-synthesizing neurons are localized in the tuberomammillary nucleus in the posterior hypothalamus and send axons to all brain areas. This feature is consistent with the findings describing neuronal histamine as a key mediator of several brain functions, ranging from homeostatic ones such as feeding behaviour, body temperature, circadian rhythmicity as well as higher brain functions such as emotionality and cognition. In this chapter, the effects of histamine and its related compounds on learning and memory are reviewed with particular attention to the findings obtained from experiments carried out using novel object recognition or social recognition paradigms. The data concerning alterations in the central histaminergic transmission in neurodegenerative diseases using postmortem tissue and the outcomes arriving from clinical trials with patients are also discussed.