Retrograde Amnesia Produced by Intraperitoneal Injection of Physostigmine

Abstract

Intraperitoneal injection of physostigmine in rats produced a retrograde amnesia of a trained task of escaping shock. This amnesic effect was a U-shaped function of the length of the interval between initial training and injection. In all cases, retraining Occurred 30 minutes after injection. A substantial effect was produced by physostigmine if its application was made 30 minutes after training; there was no effect if application and tests were made 1, 2, or 3 days after the original training. When the substance was injected and the rats were retrained 5, 7, or 14 days after the original training, a substantial effect again appeared. These results are similar to those reported in experiments in which another anticholinesterase, diisopropyl fluorophosphate, was applied intracerebrally. The data demonstrate a similar pattern of change of the amnesia with time, and they substantiate the view that neither the place of application nor the brain lesions caused the reported amnesia.

Adrenergic and cholinergic drug effects on retention of a discriminated escape

“…The results of this experiment are not entirely in agreement with those of Hamburg (1967). At 7 days after training in the Hamburg study, eserine had a significant amnesic effect.…”

“…Deutsch, Hamburg, & Dahl (1966) and Deutsch & Leibowitz (1966) found t ha t di -isopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP), an anticholinesterase, caused a deficit in performance when injected 5 or 14 days after training but improved performance if injected at 28 days. Hamburg (1967) found the deficit at 5, 7, and 14 days with another anticholinesterase, eserine. Deutsch and Rocklin (1967) found that scopolamine, an anticholinergic, impaired memory 1 and 3 days after training but had no effect at 7 or 14 days.…”

Drugs as Research Tools in Psychology: Cholinergic Drugs and Information Processing

“…However, as forgetting involves decreases in transmitter at these cholinergic synapses, then these effects would be reversed at even longer reten tion intervals. , Deutsch and Liebowitz [1966], Hamburg [1967], and Wiener and Deutsch [1968] tested the hypothesis by using a simple Y maze escape task.…”

“…Information retrieval will then be impaired. , Deutsch and Liebowitz [1966], Hamburg [1967], and Wiener and Deutsch [1968] trained rats in a Y maze to escape foot shocks and to get food. The rats were trained to a criterion of ten correct choices in succession.…”

Hemicholinium-3 induced amnesia: Some temporal properties

“…Results of a number of recent experiments (Deutsch, Hamburg, & Dahl, 1966;Hamburg, 1967;Deutsch, 1969;Biederman, 1970;Wiener, 1970) have been interpreted as indicating that memory involves biochemical changes that modify conduction between the members of certain cholinergic neuron pairs. Essentially this thesis argues that synaptic bombardment results in a durable morphological or biochemical change that renders a particular junction or set of junctions more susceptible to subseq uent activation via the same pathway.…”