Depletion of adrenal catecholamines alters the amnestic effect of amygdala stimulation

Amygdala stimulation produces a robust retrograde amnesia which appears to be related to peripheral hormonal responses to stress. This present study investigated the effects of electrical stimulation of the amygdala delivered immediately after inhibitory and active avoidance training to rats depleted of adrenal catecholamines or sham adrenal operated rats. Comparable findings were obtained with the two training tasks: amygdala stimulation impaired retention of sham adrenal operated rats but it enhanced retention of rats depleted of adrenal catecholamines. These findings suggest that adrenal catecholamines released during a training situation modulate the effects of amygdala stimulation on memory.