Title
The amnesia gradient: inadequate as evidence for a memory consolidation process
Document Type
Article
Department or Administrative Unit
Psychology
Publication Date
10-1976
Abstract
Rats were conditioned to fear a tone paired with shock to the feet. Retention tests 4 days later showed that consolidation had occurred. Other animals were not tested for retention at 4 days, but the tone was presented in order to reactivate their memories of the conditioning. An amnesia gradient was generated by low-intensity electrical stimulation of the amygdaloid complex at different intervals after the tone, but stimulation was without effect either when given to rats not previously conditioned or when given to conditioned rats without preceding memory reactivation. Thus, stimulation of the amygdaloid complex can can affect memory retrieval. Moreover, the data call into question the assumption that an amnesia gradient indicates that the memory consolidation process has been modified.
Recommended Citation
DeVietti, T., & Kirkpatrick, B. (1976). The amnesia gradient: inadequate as evidence for a memory consolidation process. Science, 194(4263), 438–440. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.988635
Journal
Science
Rights
Copyright © 1976, The American Association for the Advancement of Science
Comments
This article was originally published in Science. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.
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