Amnesia of a passive avoidance task due to the beta 2-adrenoceptor antagonist ICI 118,551.
The selective beta 2-adrenoceptor antagonist ICI 118,551 induces amnesia in the domestic chick when given systemically, 10 min after a one-trial PAL task. Young chicks will spontaneously peck at a small bright bead. If the bead has been coated with a distasteful substance, the chicks will learn in a single trial not to peck at a similar bead on subsequent presentation. Administration of ICI 118,551 prevented retention of this task. Vehicle-injected chicks which learnt the task, avoided a similar bead to the training bead in the retention test, but did not avoid a bead of a different colour. The effect of ICI 118,551 is unlikely to be a direct effect on performance since amnesic chicks pecked both beads freely and equally in the test.
Davies
D C
DC
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, Paddington, London, U.K.
Payne
J M
JM
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000647:Amnesia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D002645:Chickens; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects; D011412:Propanolamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D011412:Propanolamines; C026777:ICI 118551