Reinstatement of memory in rats: Dependence upon two forms of retrieval deficit following electroconvulsive shock
This article was originally published in Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.
Due to copyright restrictions, this article is not available for free download from ScholarWorks @ CWU.
Abstract
Three experiments with a total of 250 male Long-Evans rats investigated the conditions necessary for the recovery of memory following ECS induced amnesia of a training-trial footshock. Exp I failed to provide any strong evidence that memory returned spontaneously. Exp II also failed to show any return of memory when procedures designed to reinstate memory were administered 24 hrs after training and ECS. However, Exp III showed that one of the reinstatement procedures was effective in stimulating the return of memory when administered 96 hrs after training and ECS. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that an ECS which follows a training-trial footshock results in 2 forms of memory-retrieval deficit: (a) a transient amnesia due to a state dependency effect, and (b) a more durable retrieval failure.