Effects of convulsant and anticonvulsant agents on memory in squirrel monkeys.

Abstract

1. It has been reported that subconvulsive doses of convulsant agents such as strychnine and pentylenetetrazole can enhance memory in rodents studied under various behavioral procedures. The present study was designed to determine if similar results might be obtained in squirrel monkeys. 2. Responding by squirrel monkeys was maintained by food presentation under a repeated acquisition of behavioral chains procedure. Each subject acquired a different three-response chain each session. 3. Sequence completions were reinforced under a fixed-ratio 5 schedule (FR 5) and errors produced a brief timeout. After the subject reached a predetermined acquisition criterion, the session was stopped and a 24 hr delay was interposed. Following the delay, the subject was retested on the same discrimination and retention was quantified as percent savings. 4. When administered immediately after the subject reached the acquisition criterion, strychnine (0.0056 -0.18 mg/kg) and pentylenetetrazole (0.32-42 mg/kg) neither enhanced nor disrupted percent savings under the 24 hour delay. Similarly, the delta opioid agonist, BW373U86 (0.0056-3.2 mg/kg) [(+/-)-4 -((alpha-R*)-alpha-((2S*,5R*)-4-allyl-2,5-dimethyl -1-piperazinyl)-3-hydroxybenzyl)-N,N-diethylbenzamide dihydrochloride], had little or no effect on percent savings following a 24 hr delay. This was true even at doses of BW373U86 which produced convulsions. In contrast, triazolam (1-1.8 mg/kg) decreased percent savings following the 24 hr delay at doses which had little or no effect on response rate. 5. These results suggest that at subconvulsive doses, convulsant agents have little or no effect on memory storage, while at higher doses agents such as triazolam can disrupt memory processes in squirrel monkeys.

• Authors: E D Pakarinen, W B Faust, J M Moerschbaecher
• Journal: Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry (Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry) Vol. 20 Issue 5 Pg. 883-98 (Jul 1996) ISSN: 0278-5846 [Print] England
• PMID: 8870071 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S., Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Anticonvulsants
• Benzamides
• Convulsants
• GABA Modulators
• Piperazines
• BW 373U86
• Triazolam
• Strychnine
• Pentylenetetrazole

Topics

• Animals
• Anticonvulsants (pharmacology)
• Benzamides (pharmacology)
• Conditioning, Operant (drug effects)
• Convulsants (pharmacology)
• Female
• GABA Modulators (pharmacology)
• Learning (drug effects)
• Memory (drug effects)
• Pentylenetetrazole (pharmacology)
• Piperazines (pharmacology)
• Saimiri
• Serial Learning (drug effects)
• Strychnine (pharmacology)
• Triazolam (pharmacology)