@article{oai:kanazawa-u.repo.nii.ac.jp:00014012,
 author = {Yoneda, Mitsugu and Sugimoto, Naotoshi and Katakura, Masanori and Matsuzaki, Kentaro and Tanigami, Hayate and Yachie, Akihiro and Ohno-Shosaku, Takako and Shido, Osamu},
 journal = {Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry},
 month = {Jan},
 note = {Theobromine, which is a caffeine derivative, is the primary methylxanthine produced by Theobroma cacao. Theobromine works as a phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor to increase intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). cAMP activates the cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB), which is involved in a large variety of brain processes, including the induction of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF supports cell survival and neuronal functions, including learning and memory. Thus, cAMP/CREB/BDNF pathways play an important role in learning and memory. Here, we investigated whether orally administered theobromine could act as a PDE inhibitor centrally and affect cAMP/CREB/BDNF pathways and learning behavior in mice. The mice were divided into two groups. The control group (CN) was fed a normal diet, whereas the theobromine group (TB) was fed a diet supplemented with 0.05% theobromine for 30 days. We measured the levels of theobromine, phosphorylated vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (p-VASP), phosphorylated CREB (p-CREB), and BDNF in the brain. p-VASP was used as an index of cAMP increases. Moreover, we analyzed the performance of the mice on a three-lever motor learning task. Theobromine was detectable in the brains of TB mice. The brain levels of p-VASP, p-CREB, and BDNF were higher in the TB mice compared with those in the CN mice. In addition, the TB mice performed better on the three-lever task than the CN mice did. These results strongly suggested that orally administered theobromine acted as a PDE inhibitor in the brain, and it augmented the cAMP/CREB/BDNF pathways and motor learning in mice. © 2016 Elsevier Inc., Embargo Period 12 months},
 pages = {110--116},
 title = {Theobromine up-regulates cerebral brain-derived neurotrophic factor and facilitates motor learning in mice},
 volume = {39},
 year = {2017}
}