Anterograde and retrograde effects of electroconvulsive shock and of puromycin on memory formation in the goldfish

Abstract

Electroconvulsive shock [ECS] or puromycin administered prior to training did not significantly impair acquisition of shock-avoidance in goldfish. Significant retention deficits are observed on retraining 72 hr later in groups of fish that received ECS 2.5, 1 or 0.5 hr before training as well as in groups that received ECS 0, 4 or 24 hr after training. Puromycin produces significant retention deficits on retraining when given 24, 16, 8, 4 or 0 hr prior to, or 0 or 0.25 hr following training. A temporal course of development of the retention deficit that has been seen with puromycin was not observed with ECS as the deficit was maximal at the earliest trainretrain interval examined. ECS administered before both training and retraining did not relieve the deficit. Since performance was not diminished in fish retrained just after ECS, it appears that this proactive effect of ECS reflects disruption of memory rather than state-dependent learning. Electroconvulsive shock or puromycin administered following training has typically been assumed to induce retrograde amnesia (RA) of training events and is presumed to be due to disruption of memory formation. Considerably less is known about anterograde amnesia (AA), i.e., memory impairment resulting from an amnesic agent delivered prior to training. Kopp, Bohdanecky and Jarvik (1968) demonstrated ECS-induced AA in mice using a one-trial passive avoidance task. A single ECS treatment delivered 1-4 hr prior to training caused retention deficits, but had no effect on memory when delivered 24 hr prior to training. Using mice in a one-trial passive avoidance task, Zerbolio (1969) found no significant retention deficit when ECS was given 60 rain before training but it did affect memory when administered 5 min prior to training.

Electroconvulsive shock- or puromycin-induced retention deficits in goldfish given two active-avoidance sessions

“…However, as the retention deficits on Day 13 in Groups 6 and 13 are significantly different (P<0.001), it is unlikely that two ECS treatments produce sickness. The deficit on Day 7 in the 24-hr delay group (Groups 5, 6, and 7) suggests an RA gradient that is longer than that observed in a somewhat different paradigm (Davis et al, 1965) but is consistent with recent findings (Springer et al, 1975). In addition, long gradients have been observed in other species (Cherkin, 1969;Robustelli et al, 1969).…”

“…ECS, like the protein and RNA synthesis inhibitors, can produce a proactive effect, although with ECS the duration of the effect appears to be quite brief. With both the inhibitors of macromolecular synthesis and ECS, retraining shortly after a treatment reveals that memory is still present, even though it will be undetectable within a few days (Springer et al, 1975). In the case of ECS, the subsequent memory loss occurs more rapidly than in the case of the inhibitors.…”

“…The subjects were divided into four groups. Two groups (Groups 1 and 2) received retro-orbital ECS (0.1 sec, 30 mA, 60 Hz, rms) (Springer et al, 1975) upon the termination of Day 1 training. The two remaining groups (Groups 3 and 4) did not receive ECS.…”

Role of body temperature in the onset of, and recovery from, hypothermia-induced anterograde amnesia

“…In studies on experimentally induced amnesia in animals, several approaches have been taken to deal with this difficulty (Gardner, Glick, & Jarvik, 1972; Kopp, Bohdanecky, & Jarvik, 1968;Springer, Schoel, This research was supported by NIMH Grant MN37535 to D.C.R. Requests for reprints should be sent to: Rick Richardson, Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242.…”

“…Requests for reprints should be sent to: Rick Richardson, Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242. Klinger, & Agranoff, 1975), but the solutions have been either indirect or subject to alternative interpretations. Recently, however, Riehardson, Riccio, and Morilak (1983) reported what appears to be an unequivocal example of AA.…”