Effects of chlordiazepoxide on the acquisition of avoidance learning and its transfer to the normal state and other drug conditions

• DOI: 10.1007/bf00427701
• Publication Date: 2004-11-11T01:54:49Z
• Authors: E. Sachs; M. Weingarten; N. W. Klein
• Keywords: Male; Amphetamine; Behavior, Animal; Transfer, Psychology; Avoidance Learning; Reaction Time; Animals; Chlordiazepoxide; Pentobarbital; Rats

Rats trained after injection of chlordiazepoxide (CDP), 15 mg/kg, acquired the conditioned avoidance response significantly faster than saline controls. When tested in the undrugged state, CDP trained animals showed virtually no retention of the learned response. Conversely, normally trained rats showed a significant decrement in performance with CDP, whether or not they had received a series of CDP injections following the period of training. CDP trained animals performed much worse than controls on tests with chlorpromazine and amphetamine, despite continued perfect performance on intercurrent CDP tests. Both the rapid learning and the “dissociation” of learning are discussed with reference to the diminution by drug of the spectrum of behavioral responses to novel stimuli, as well as the elimination of the electrical response of hippocampus which normally accompanies these responses to novelty.