Posttrial injections of strychnine sulfate: Facilitation of consolidation or retrieval?

Abstract

The existing literature demonstrating that animals given strychnine sulfate shortly after training display enhanced retention 24 h later can be interpreted in terms of either consolidation or retrieval processes. A test between these two interpretations failed to support the consolidation interpretation, but did support the retrieval interpretation. It was concluded that (a)a retrieval model provides an adequate interpretation of the facilitation of retention resulting from posttrial injections of strychnine, and (b) an unambiguous demonstration that strychnine enhances processes of consolidation has yet to be offered.

Specific modulation of social memory in rats by cholinomimetic and nootropic drugs, by benzodiazepine inverse agonists, but not by psychostimulants

“…Strychnine has been claimed to enhance memory consolidation in rats in a LashleyIII maze at a dose of l m g / k g (Greenough and McGaugh 1965). Moreover, Leccese and Grant (1980) demonstrated that, in the same situation, strychnine at a dose of 1.5 mg/kg was effective in retrieval procedures but not in paradigms which involved consolidation. Amphetamine, injected immediately after training at a dose of I mg/kg, has been reported to improve memory in an exploratory habituation test in mice (Platel and Porsolt 1982).…”