Intracranial self-stimulation recovers learning and memory capacity in basolateral amygdala-damaged rats.
We studied the capacity of post-training intracranial self-stimulation (SS) to reverse or ameliorate learning and memory impairments caused by amygdala damage in rats. A first experiment showed that lesions of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) slow down acquisition of two-way active avoidance conditioning (2wAA). In a second experiment we observed that a post-training SS treatment administered immediately after each 2wAA conditioning session is able to completely reverse the disruptive effects of the BLA lesions, and the facilitative effect lasts for 10days. A third experiment allowed us to differentiate the strong recuperative effects of the SS treatment from the slight effect caused by overtraining the same conditioning response. We concluded that SS is able to counteract the behavioral deficit induced by BLA damage, probably by activating alternative undamaged brain structures related to learning and memory, such as the hippocampus.
Segura-Torres
Pilar
P
Departament de Psicobiologia i de Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. pilar.segura@uab.cat
Aldavert-Vera
Laura
L
Gatell-Segura
Anna
A
Redolar-Ripoll
Diego
D
Morgado-Bernal
Ignacio
I
D000647:Amnesia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D000679:Amygdala / Q000293:injuries* / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012646:Self Administration; D016896:Treatment Outcome