title: Diazepam impairs acquisition but not performance in the Morris water maze.
abstract: Diazepam is known to produce anterograde amnesia in both humans and animals. The present investigation sought to determine if this impairment is a direct result of diazepam's interference with mnemonic processes or a result of deficits in performance or retrieval. Diazepam (3 mg/kg) was administered prior to training in the Morris water maze either before or after the rats had acquired the location of a submerged escape platform. Diazepam was found to impair acquisition but not retrieval of spatial information and this impairment was not due to the sedative, hypothermic or state-dependent learning effects of diazepam. These results replicate previous findings in the Morris water maze and provide new evidence that this deficit is primarily mnemonic in nature.
authors.affiliation: University of Victoria, Department of Psychology, B.C., Canada.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: McNamara
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Skelton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D003975:Diazepam