Acute phorbol ester treatment improves spatial learning performance in rats.
Recent findings have lead researchers to speculate that hippocampal protein kinase C (PKC) in rodents is involved in spatial learning and memory. The purpose of this study was to determine if treating rats with a compound known to increase PKC activity would improve performance in a task that requires spatial learning processes. Rats were treated with a single intracerebroventricular injection of a phorbol ester, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) that is known to increase PKC activity and then tested on the hidden-platform version of the Morris water taks. Results showed that PDBu-treated subjects' ability to learn to locate the escape platform was better than controls. In addition, PDBu-treated subjects showed signs of having remembered the location of the platform better than controls when tested 24 h later. These results support a role of brain PKC in processes required to learn the Morris water task.
Paylor
R
R
Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309.
Rudy
J W
JW
Wehner
J M
JM
D000818:Animals; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D015240:Phorbol 12,13-Dibutyrate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D013028:Space Perception / Q000187:drug effects*
D015240:Phorbol 12,13-Dibutyrate; D011493:Protein Kinase C