The Effect of two “Tranquillizers” on Auditory Discrimination and Delayed Response Performance of Monkeys

Abstract

Five rhesus monkeys were tested on performance of an auditory discrimination and a delayed response test with a sliding scale of increasing difficulty after treatment with (a) 0.2 to 0.5 mgm./kgm. reserpine, (b) 150 mgm./kgm. meprobamate, (c) an equivalent saline injection, and (d) no treatment. Both drug treatments resulted in a severe deficit on the auditory discrimination and no change or improvement in delayed response performance. The auditory deficit was not due simply to an increased latency of response.It is suggested that these results support the hypothesis that reserpine and meprobamate reduce the utilization of sensory information.

Effects of drugs on the effectiveness of conditioned stimuli

“…The results of some earlier studies are consistent with the results reported here. In addition to the restriction of the use of cues reported by Pusakulich and Nielson (1976), Weiskrantz and his co-workers (Gross & Weiskrantz, 1961;Weiskrantz & Baltzer, 1965) also report differential drug effects on learned behaviors. They trained nondrugged monkeys, in visual and auditory discrimination and delayed response tasks, and then tested for the retention of responding when the monkeys were drugged with meprobamate.…”

Effects of drugs on the effectiveness of conditioned stimuli

“…The results of some earlier studies are consistent with the results reported here. In addition to the restriction of the use of cues reported by Pusakulich and Nielson (1976), Weiskrantz and his co-workers (Gross & Weiskrantz, 1961;Weiskrantz & Baltzer, 1965) also report differential drug effects on learned behaviors. They trained nondrugged monkeys, in visual and auditory discrimination and delayed response tasks, and then tested for the retention of responding when the monkeys were drugged with meprobamate.…”

State-dependent dissociation of food consumption and maze running in rats

“…Considerable evidence has accumulated in recent years that drugged animals, while not blind or deaf, do not effectively use visual or auditory cues in discrimination tasks (Gross & Weiskrantz, 1961;Weiskrantz & Baltzer, 1965) and cannot use place cues to learn a water maze (Pusakulich & Nielson, 1976). In fact, Pusakulich and Nielson have argued that drugs impair the ability of an animal to use environmental cues so that the animal must resort to a strategy of learning response sequences when drugged.…”

Effects of drugs on the effectiveness of conditioned stimuli

“…The results of some earlier studies are consistent with the results reported here. In addition to the restriction of the use of cues reported by Pusakulich and Nielson (1976), Weiskrantz and his co-workers (Gross & Weiskrantz, 1961;Weiskrantz & Baltzer, 1965) also report differential drug effects on learned behaviors. They trained nondrugged monkeys, in visual and auditory discrimination and delayed response tasks, and then tested for the retention of responding when the monkeys were drugged with meprobamate.…”

State-dependent dissociation of food consumption and maze running in rats

“…Considerable evidence has accumulated in recent years that drugged animals, while not blind or deaf, do not effectively use visual or auditory cues in discrimination tasks (Gross & Weiskrantz, 1961;Weiskrantz & Baltzer, 1965) and cannot use place cues to learn a water maze (Pusakulich & Nielson, 1976). In fact, Pusakulich and Nielson have argued that drugs impair the ability of an animal to use environmental cues so that the animal must resort to a strategy of learning response sequences when drugged.…”

Effects of drugs on the effectiveness of conditioned stimuli

“…The results of some earlier studies are consistent with the results reported here. In addition to the restriction of the use of cues reported by Pusakulich and Nielson (1976), Weiskrantz and his co-workers (Gross & Weiskrantz, 1961;Weiskrantz & Baltzer, 1965) also report differential drug effects on learned behaviors. They trained nondrugged monkeys, in visual and auditory discrimination and delayed response tasks, and then tested for the retention of responding when the monkeys were drugged with meprobamate.…”

State-dependent dissociation of food consumption and maze running in rats

“…Considerable evidence has accumulated in recent years that drugged animals, while not blind or deaf, do not effectively use visual or auditory cues in discrimination tasks (Gross & Weiskrantz, 1961;Weiskrantz & Baltzer, 1965) and cannot use place cues to learn a water maze (Pusakulich & Nielson, 1976). In fact, Pusakulich and Nielson have argued that drugs impair the ability of an animal to use environmental cues so that the animal must resort to a strategy of learning response sequences when drugged.…”