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Amphetamine-induced memory impairment in a discriminative avoidance task is state-dependent in mice
Leandro Sanday1, Camilla L Patti, Karina A Zanin
1Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
|June 22, 2012
Summary
Amphetamine (Amph) impairs memory retention in mice, but this effect is state-dependent. Memory deficits occurred when tested in a different state than training, suggesting amphetamine-induced learning is state-dependent.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychopharmacology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Amphetamine (Amph) administration yields mixed cognitive effects in humans and animals, influenced by timing and memory models.
- Amphetamine also alters behavior, including anxiety and activity, potentially inducing state-dependent learning, which is linked to human drug dependence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of state-dependent learning in amphetamine-induced memory deficits using a mouse model.
- To evaluate how amphetamine affects learning, memory, anxiety, and activity in a discriminative avoidance task.
Main Methods:
- Mice received amphetamine (3 mg/kg) before training and/or testing in a plus-maze discriminative avoidance task.
- The task assessed learning, memory, anxiety-like behavior, and general activity concurrently.
Main Results:
- Pre-training amphetamine did not impair task acquisition but caused anxiety and memory retention deficits.
- Memory impairment was absent when amphetamine was administered before both training and testing sessions.
- Amphetamine-induced memory deficits were state-dependent, with impaired recall in a drug-free state.
Conclusions:
- Amphetamine-induced memory impairment in a discriminative avoidance task is state-dependent.
- Learning acquired under amphetamine is not recalled in a normal state, highlighting the influence of the internal state on memory retrieval.
- Anxiety alterations may contribute to the observed amphetamine state-dependent effects.
