CONTROL OF RETROGRADE AMNESIA

IN 3 EXPERIMENTS MALE ALBINO SPRAGUE-DAWLEY RATS, FAMILIARIZED WITH THE EXPERIMENTAL SITUATION BEFORE 1-TRIAL PASSIVE AVOIDANCE TRAINING IN A STEP-DOWN APPARATUS, SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF MEMORY DISRUPTION DUE TO ECS. SS GIVEN ECS AFTER PASSIVE AVOIDANCE TRAINING UNDER TYPICAL CONDITIONS WITHOUT FAMILIARIZATION, HOWEVER, SHOWED SIGNIFICANT MEMORY DEFICITS. IT IS ARGUED THAT PRIOR FAMILIARIZATION PERMITS A NEW MEMORY (FOR FOOT SHOCK) TO INTEGRATE INTO AN EXISTING MEMORY SYSTEM AND THUS PROTECTS IT TO SOME EXTENT FROM THE INHIBITORY EFFECTS OF ECS. MOREOVER, A SINGLE ECS IN A FAMILIARIZED SITUATION SEEMS TO HAVE AN EFFECT INDEPENDENT OF ITS INTERACTION WITH FOOT SHOCK. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).