Effect of diazepam on acquisition, retention, and some performance variables in the Morris water maze

dc.contributor.authorMcNamara, Robert Keithen_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-14T22:46:49Z
dc.date.available2024-08-14T22:46:49Z
dc.date.copyright1990en_US
dc.date.issued1990
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of Psychology
dc.degree.levelMaster of Science M.Sc.en
dc.description.abstractDiazepam is known to produce anterograde amnesia in both humans and animals. The present investigation sought to determine if this impairment is a direct result of diazepam's interference with mnemonic processes or a result of deficits in performance or retrieval. Diazepam (3 mg/kg) was administered prior to training in the Morris water maze either before or after the rats had learned the location of a submerged escape platform. Diazepam was found to impair acquisition but not retrieval of spatial information. This impairment was not due to the sedative, hypothermic or state-dependent learning effects of diazepam. In addition, there was no evidence of tolerance to the amnesic effects of diazepam over the 27 days of testing. These results replicate previous findings in the Morris water maze and provide new evidence that the deficit is primarily mnemonic in nature. Possible neural and electrophysiological substrates, the role of endogenous benzodiazepines, and the strategies used by diazepam-treated rats are discussed.
dc.format.extent53 pages
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/18964
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.titleEffect of diazepam on acquisition, retention, and some performance variables in the Morris water mazeen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
MCNAMARA_Robert_Keith_MSC_1990_515065.pdf
Size:
7.63 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format