Intracerebroventricular effects of angiotensin II on a step-through passive avoidance task in rats

• Published in: Neurobiology of learning and memory 2004, Vol.81 (1), p.100-103
• Main Authors: de Souza, F.A.M., Sanchis-Segura, C., Fukada, S.Y., de Bortoli, V.C., Zangrossi, H., de Oliveira, A.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Angiotensin II; Angiotensin II - pharmacology; Animal; Animals; Association Learning - drug effects; Avoidance Learning - drug effects; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - drug effects; Conditioning, Classical - drug effects; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fear - drug effects; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Injections, Intraventricular; Learning; Learning. Memory; Male; Memory; Mental Recall - drug effects; Motivation; Motor Activity - drug effects; Passive avoidance; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reaction Time - drug effects; Retention (Psychology) - drug effects
• ISSN: 1074-7427; 1095-9564
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2003.08.006

A wealth of evidence indicates that angiotensin II (Ang II) is involved in learning and memory. However, the precise role of this peptide in these cognitive processes is still controversial, with data indicating either an inhibitory or an enhancing action. The present study was designed to further investigate the effects of intracerebroventricular injections of Ang II (0.5, 1 or 3 nmol/5 μl) on a step-through passive avoidance task in male adult Wistar rats. When administered pretraining, Ang II did not affect the acquisition of passive avoidance, but markedly improved avoidance performance when given before the retrieval test. The latter effect was observed in retest sessions performed up to 72 h after training. Administration of the peptide five minutes after training impaired retention of inhibitory avoidance. Therefore, Ang II may exert opposite effects on passive avoidance memory according to its interference with brain mechanisms leading to the storage or retrieval of this aversively motivated task.