title: Memory of rats with amygdala lesions induced 30 days after footshock-motivated escape training reflects degree of original training.
abstract: This experiment was conducted to determine whether the amount of preoperative training influences the effects, on retention, of amygdala lesions induced 30 days after escape training. Rats received 1 or 10 footshock-motivated escape training trials; 30 days later, sham or neurotoxic amygdala lesions were induced. Results of an inhibitory avoidance test performed 4 days after surgery indicated that amygdala lesions impaired retention performance; however, increased preoperative training partially attenuated the retention deficit. Increased preoperative training also attenuated the impairing effects of the lesions on retention assessed in a continuous multiple-trial inhibitory avoidance task given 36 days after the original escape training. The finding that amygdala-lesioned rats remembered the escape training suggests that the amygdala is not a critical locus of the changes underlying the long-term retention of footshock-motivated escape training.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22903.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Parent
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: McGaugh
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009042:Motivation; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*