Facilitation of retention performance in mice by posttraining diethyldithiocarbamate

These experiments examined the effects in mice of posttraining injections of diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) upon retention (7 days after training) of active avoidance learning and upon whole brain catecholamine levels. When administered immediately following training, DDC enhanced retention performance. The degree of enhancement varied directly with dose. DDC did not significantly affect retention performance if the injections were delayed 1 or 4 hours after training. Also, DDC administered 30 min prior to training did not affect retention performance. DDC (900 mg/kg) produced a large but transient increase in whole brain dopamine (DA) levels while norepinephrine (NE) levels were lowered.