Muscimol infused into the medial septal area impairs long-term memory but not short-term memory in inhibitory avoidance, water maze place learning and rewarded alternation tasks.

Article date: 1992/9/18

PubMed ID: 1446233

Journal name: Brain research (ISSN: 0006-8993)

ABSTRACT

These experiments investigated the effects of injections of muscimol (1 or 5 nmol), administered into the medial septal area prior to training, on memory tested at different retention delays after training in 3 tasks: an inhibitory avoidance task, a one-trial place learning task, and a rewarded alternation task. In all 3 tasks, intraseptal injections of muscimol did not impair memory performance at short retention delays, but impaired memory at the longer retention delays. These findings are consistent with the view that GABAergic regulation of the septohippocampal cholinergic system plays a selective role in the establishment of long-term memory.

Author List: Nagahara A H, McGaugh J L

Publication Types: Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Substances mentioned in the article: Muscimol;

Mesh terms: Animals; Avoidance Learning/drug effects; Infusions, Parenteral; Male; Memory, Short-Term/drug effects; Muscimol/administration & dosage; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reinforcement Schedule; Retention (Psychology)/drug effects; Reward; Septum Pellucidum/drug effects; Spatial Behavior; Time Factors;