Propanolol´s role in reward´s memory impairment.

RUETTI, E. M.; JUSTEL, N.; PSYRDELLIS, M.; FREIDIN, E.; BOCCIA, M.; MUSTACA, A. E.

Jaen

Congreso; SEPC. Sociedad Española de Psicología Comparada.; 2012

SEPC. Sociedad Española de Psicología Comparada.

The animal´s behaviour depends on their previous experience with rewards of different incentive value. Blockade of ß-adrenergic receptors leads to a decrement in several task´s memory. The aim of this study was to evaluate the administration´s effect of a ß-adrenergic antagonist on a reward´s downshift memory. The animals receive 10 o 2 trials (Experiment 1 or 2) with the high incentive reward (32% sucrose solution) and then they were expose to a low incentive reward (4% sucrose solution). Propranolol was administered immediately after the first trial with the low incentive reward. The consummatory intake was evaluated 24h, 48h and 72h thereafter. When the subjects had 10 trials with the high incentive reward it was found that post-training administration of propranolol results in an enhancement of the consummatory response, suggesting the existence of memory impairment (Experiment 1). On the other hand, when the animals had only 2 trials with the high incentive reward, propranolol´s administration results in the suppression of the consummatory response during the test (Experiment 2).These data suggest that propranolol modulates memory of the downshift reward in an opposite way depending of the previous experience with the reward.