Interactions between anandamide-induced anterograde amnesia and post-training memory modulatory systems
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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Aversive Associative Learning and Memory Formation by Pairing Two Chemicals in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: June 23, 2022
Daniela Martí Barros1, Vania Carlis, Michelle Maidana
1Laboratório de Comportamento, Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, CENPRE, Fundação Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Av Itália Km 8, 96201-900 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil. dani@octopus.furg.br
Abstract:
Rats were bilaterally implanted with indwelling cannulae in the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus. After recovery from surgery, they were trained in a one-trial, step-down inhibitory avoidance task using a 0.5 mA foot shock. The animals received intrahippocampal infusions of either vehicle or anandamide (100 microM, 0.5 microl/side) 30 min before training. Then, either immediately post-training or 3 h later, they received infusions of saline, noradrenaline (0.5 microg/side), SKF 38393 (1.5 microg/side), oxotremorine (0.6 microg/side) or Sp-cAMPs (0.5 microg/side) also in the hippocampus. All animals were tested for retention 24-h post-training. Anandamide produced anterograde amnesia. Immediate, but not delayed, post-training treatment with Sp-cAMPs and noradrenaline reversed this effect. SKF 38393 and oxotremorine had no influence on the amnesia caused by anandamide either when given immediately or 3 h after training. The results suggest that the amnesic effect of anandamide is related to the known noradrenergic regulation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) activity previously described in the hippocampus immediately after avoidance training, which is crucial to long-term memory (LTM) formation.
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