Effect of post-trial injection of beta adrenergic blocking agents on a conditioned reflex in rats

✍ Scribed by Alicia B. Merlo; Juan A. Izquierdo

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1971
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 342 KB
• Volume: 22
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0033-3158
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00403626

✦ Synopsis

The effect of beta adrenergic blocking agents (propranolol, pronethalol, INPEA and diehloroisoproterenol) on the acquisition of a conditioned reflex was studied in adult, male Wistar rats. The experiments were done in a shuttle box with light as a conditioned stimulus, and an electric shock to the legs through the grid as the unconditioned stimulus. A maximum of 23 sessions were carried out with 24 h intervals. The drugs, the peripheral effects of which are estimated to last less than 24 h, were injected i.p. post-trial.

The learning process and the number of animals which succeeded in complying with the learning criterion until session 23 were improved by propranolol (2 mg/kg) and pronethalol (10 mg/kg). INPEA (10 mg/kg) only increased the percentage of animals which succeeded in complying the learning criterion until session 12. In the initial sessions diehloroisoproterenol (10 mg/kg) impaired the learning process.