Pre-training treatment with scopolamine does not impair memory storage

FORASTIERE NATALIA; BOCCIA MM; KRAWCZYK MC; BARATTI CM; BLAKE MG

Huerta Grande, Córdoba

Congreso; XXVIII CONGRESO ANUAL DE LA SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE INVESTIGACION EN NEUROCIENCIAS & Reunión satélite sobre Neurobiología del Comportamiento: ?NeuroetologÍa y Neurobiología de la Memoria en el cono sur? Un homenaje a Héctor Maldonado; 2013

Sociedad Argentina de Neurociencias

CF-1 male mice (25-30 g) were trained in an inhibitory avoidance task (IA) using astrong footshock (1.2 mA, 3 sec). They were tested for memory retention 48 hoursafter training, with latencies at the ceiling (300 sec), and tested several times 24hours apart to develop extinction of the avoidance memory. Twenty four hoursafter it mice were tested again, and received a mild footshock (0.4 mA, 1 sec) whenstepped in the dark compartment, which reinstate the avoidance memory. Anothergroup of mice received a pre-training injection of scopolamine (SCP, 0.5 mg/kg) andwere trained in the IA using the strong footshock. SCP impaired the avoidancememory. Mice were tested 24 hours apart, with progressively reduced latencies,suggesting that extinction was developing, despite the avoidance memory waspoorly expressed. At the third retention test, mice received the mild footshock, andwere tested again 24 hours after it. The mild footshock reinstate the avoidancememory, to a level similar to control mice. These results suggest that the pretrainingadministration of SCP did not impair storage of memory, but it remainedpoorly expressed. This memory developed extinction and was successfullyreinstated using a mild footshock. Our results support the notion that SCP did notaffect memory storage, but impaired memory expression.