Facilitation of avoidance learning by pentylenetetrazol as a function of task difficulty, deprivation and shock level

Drug enhancement of memory consolidation: historical perspective and neurobiological implications

“…In old, but not young, rats, memory enhancement was produced by injections administered up to 4 h after training. Avoidance learning is enhanced by posttraining administration of several other stimulant drugs, including strychnine (Bovet et al 1966), picrotoxin (Zerbolio 1967) pentylenetetrazol (Krivanek 1971), and bemegride (Luttges and McGaugh 1971a, b). Posttraining administration of picrotoxin enhances extinction as well as original learning.…”

Short‐term treatment with the GABAA receptor antagonist pentylenetetrazole produces a sustained pro‐cognitive benefit in a mouse model of Down's syndrome

“…For example, hippocampal long‐term potentiation (LTP) is impaired in TS mice (Siarey et al ., ; Kleschevnikov et al ., ; Costa and Grybko, ; Siarey et al ., ), and can be rescued by the acute application of GABA A receptor antagonists, which also enhance LTP in normal animals (Bliss and Lomo, ; Arima‐Yoshida et al ., ). At the behavioural level, studies showed memory enhancement in rats receiving non‐convulsing doses of GABA A receptor antagonists just before or immediately following training (Hunt and Krivanek, ; Elliott and Schneiderman, ; Krivanek and McGaugh, ; Hunt and Bauer, ; Krivanek, ; receptor nomenclature follows Alexander et al ., ).…”

Modulation of Learning and Memory: Effects of Drugs Influencing Neurotransmitters

“…Thus, for example, doses of nicotine found to facilitate memory for a shuttlebox avoidance response (Evangelista et al, 1970) are considerably lower than those facilitating memory for an appetitive maze problem (Garg and Holland, 1969). Krivanek (1971) and others (Gold and McGaugh, 1974) have commented upon similar relationships observed for other CNS stimulants. While nicotine, physostigmine, and amphetamine produce seizure activity at higher doses (cf.…”