2-DEOXYGALACTOSE INTERFERES WITH AN INTERMEDIATE PROCESSING STAGE OF MEMORY

The effect of 2-deoxygalactose (2-D-gal), an inhibitor of glycoprotein synthesis, on memory formation was investigated with the day-old chic k trained on a single-trial passive discrimination task. 2-D-gal (10 m u mol/chick) was shown to inhibit memory formation at a time before th e emergence of an antibiotic-sensitive long-term memory stage. The amn estic effect of 2-D-gal was successfully prevented by galactose, and m ore significantly by noradrenaline. In contrast, anisomycin-induced am nesia was resistant to challenge by either galactose or noradrenaline. The results are consistent with the view that some glycoprotein invol vement in memory formation occurs prior to the formation of protein sy nthesis-dependent longterm memory, and this role of glycoproteins may be associated with the triggering of long-term memory formation by nor adrenaline. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.