Post-training injection of GABAergic antagonists into the striatum produces retrograde amnesia

Although it is well established that the striatum contains both local and projection GABA neurons, little is known about their possible role in memory storage. We now report that in the Wistar rat, intrastriatal post-training injection of microgram quantities of bicuculine or picrotoxin, two GABA antagonists with different modes of action, induced retrograde amnesia of inhibitory avoidance, in concordance with the effects of injections of picrotoxin into the substantia nigra. These results suggest that GABA activity of the nigrostriatal system is involved in cognitive functions.