ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL OF MEMORY FIXATION IN GOLDFISH

AN INTRACRANIAL INJECTION OF PUROMYCIN GIVEN WITHIN 1.5 HR. FOLLOWING SHOCK-AVOIDANCE TRIALS IN A SHUTTLE BOX IMPAIRED SS' RETENTION OF THE AVOIDANCE HABIT ON RETRAINING AT 72 HR. SS KEPT IN THE INTERTRIAL CONDITIONS FOR 3.5 HR. FOLLOWING TRAINING AND THEN GIVEN PUROMYCIN SHOWED GREATLY IMPAIRED RETENTION, WHILE UNINJECTED SS SHOWED NEARLY NORMAL RETENTION. SS KEPT IN THE INTERTRIAL CONDITIONS FOR 24 AND 48 HR. FOLLOWING TRAINING BUT NOT INJECTED SHOWED RETENTION DEFICITS WHICH WERE EQUIVALENT TO THOSE OF SS RECEIVING PUROMYCIN. C PUROMYEIN INTERFERED WITH MEMORY FIXATION, FIXATION WAS SUPPRESSED DURING TRAINING AND IN THE INTERTRIAL ENVIRONMENT FOLLOWING FORMAL TRIALS, AND PROLONGED INTERVALS IN THE INTERTRIAL ENVIRONMENT RESULTED IN A MEMORY LOSS OR ACQUISITION OF INTERFERING RESPONSES. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1968 American Psychological Association.