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Intraseptal GABAergic Infusions Disrupt Memory in the Rat: Method and Mechanisms

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Neurotransmitter Interactions and Cognitive Function

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Abstract

The septum serves as an important focus for coordinating hippocampal neural activity (Petsche et al., 1962). Manipulations within the septum alter hippocampal activity and disrupt the performance of behavioral tasks dependent on the functional integrity of this structure. The present chapter focuses on the effects of GABAergic manipulations within the septum on the rat’s performance of radial maze tasks (Fig. 1). We have observed that posttraining intraseptal infusion of the GABA agonist muscimol and the GABA antagonist bicuculline (BIC) can induce acute amnestic deficits in the rat’s performance of a delayed non-match-to-sample (DNMTS) radial arm maze (RAM) task (Chrobak et al., 1989a; Chrobak and Napiter, 1991, 1992). These findings suggest that modulation of septal activity can disrupt memory-consolidation processes. Such findings present the challenge of identifying underlying neural events disrupted by these manipulations and determining their relationship to the observed amnestic deficits. We speculate that pretraining intraseptal treatments may alter memory processes by altering neural events operative during hippocampal theta activity, while posttraining intraseptal treatments may modify memory-consolidation processes operative during the hippocampal sharp wave (SPW) state.

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Authors
  1. James J. Chrobak
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  2. T. Celeste Napier
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, 27710, Durham, NC, USA

    Edward D. Levin

  2. Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, 60064, USA

    Michael W. Decker

  3. Laboratory of Chemical Neuroanatomy, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90024-1563, USA

    Larry L. Butcher

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© 1992 Birkhäuser Boston

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Chrobak, J.J., Napier, T.C. (1992). Intraseptal GABAergic Infusions Disrupt Memory in the Rat: Method and Mechanisms. In: Levin, E.D., Decker, M.W., Butcher, L.L. (eds) Neurotransmitter Interactions and Cognitive Function. Birkhäuser Boston. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9843-5_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9843-5_18

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser Boston

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-9845-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-9843-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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