ACQUISITION AND CONSOLIDATION OF TWO-WAY ACTIVE AVOIDANCE IN THE HIGH IMMOBILIZATION "DEPRESSIVE" RATS

Present study investigated possible changes in acquisition and consolidation of associative memory in high immobilization "depressive" and low immobilization "non-depressive" rats. Question is very topical because understanding the character of learning and memory disturbances, one of symptoms of major depressive disease, is very significant for more intimate definition of the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder and appropriate searching the ways of its correction. Selection of rats according to the level of immobilization was made by means of forced swim test. Learning and memory disturbances were studied using two-way active avoidance test that is fear motivated multi trial associative memory task. It was shown that ability to avoid/escape an aversive event by learning to perform a specific behavior, in response to a stimulus cue, is retained at the high level in high immobility "depressive" rats, selected by forced swim test. Acquisition of new information about an aversive stimulus is significantly facilitated and processes of consolidation are realized without any impairment. Thus, acquisition and consolidation of associative learning and memory is not impaired in high immobility "depressive" rats in two-way active avoidance task.