Oxotremorine attenuates retrograde amnesia induced by post-training administration of the GABAergic agonists muscimol and baclofen.
These experiments examined the involvement of cholinergic influences in the effects of GABAergic drugs on 24-h retention of an inhibitory avoidance response by mice. A first set of experiments confirmed previous findings indicating that post-training injections (ip) of the GABAergic agonists muscimol (1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg) and baclofen (10.0 and 20.0 mg/kg) impaired retention, as well as previous findings indicating that injections of the cholinergic agonist oxotremorine (5.0 and 10.0 micrograms/kg) enhanced retention. The findings of a second set of experiments indicated that the memory-impairing effects of muscimol and baclofen were attenuated by concurrent injections of a low, and otherwise ineffective, dose of oxotremorine (2.5 micrograms/kg). These findings are interpreted as suggesting that GABAergic drugs affect memory storage through influences on cholinergic systems.
Castellano
C
C
Istituto di Psicobiologia e Psicofarmacologia del CNR, Rome, Italy.
McGaugh
J L
JL
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001418:Baclofen / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009118:Muscimol / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010095:Oxotremorine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000187:drug effects; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000187:drug effects*; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects*
D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D009118:Muscimol; D010095:Oxotremorine; D001418:Baclofen