Cerebral protein synthesis inhibition and discrimination training; effects of D-amphetamine

Abstract

brain protein synthesis inhibition can sometimes be reversed by drugs that affect brain catecholamine metabolismZ,10,13. These findings have been interpreted to mean that CXM interferes with retrieval rather than with the formation of long-term memory, and that the action of CXM might be mediated by catecholamines rather than by inhibition of brain protein synthesis 10. In the present study we have explored the effect of D-amphetamine on the amnesia produced by protein synthesis inhibition. We found that D-amphetamine reversed amnesia, but this effect was due to facilitation of performance during retention testing, rather than to a specific improvement in retrieval of previously unavailable information. These results are consistent with the view that CXM inhibits protein synthesis required for the formation of long-term memory.