The cholinergic agent physostigmine enhances short-term-memory-based performance in the developing rat.
There are age-related differences in the rat's short-term memory processes. Rats 24-25 days old are 90% correct when the delay interval separating the forced run and choice run of a trial is either 10 or 30 s, but they perform at chance when the delay interval is 60 s. In contrast, the choice performance of 30-day-old rats remains constant across all delay intervals. It is reported that the cholinergic agent physostigmine dramatically improved the short-term-memory-based performance of rats 24-25 days old such that they displayed no loss in choice accuracy even when the delay interval was 60 s. No such enhanced performance was seen in rats treated with neostigmine, a peripherally acting anticholinesterase. The results support the hypothesis that postnatal maturational differences in central cholinergic systems may contribute to age-related differences in short-term memory.
Castro
C A
CA
Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309.
Paylor
R
R
Moye
T B
TB
Rudy
J W
JW
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects*; D009949:Orientation / Q000187:drug effects*; D010830:Physostigmine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000187:drug effects*
D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D010830:Physostigmine