SCOPOLAMINE INDUCES RECOVERY OF SHUTTLE BOX AVOIDANCE-BEHAVIOR AFTER FRONTAL-CORTEX ABLATION

The learning and reversal of shuttle box active avoidance behavior in animals with a bilateral frontal cortex ablation was investigated duri ng and after scopolamine or pilocarpine treatment. Scopolamine facilit ated the performance of the avoidance task in normal animals and in th ose with frontal cortex lesions and also increased the number of inter trial responses, while pilocarpine increased the deleterious effects o f the lesions. Furthermore, in the absence of scopolamine, the animals previously treated with the drug showed that its beneficial effects p ersisted while the number of intertrial responses were no longer incre ased. The results indicate that the beneficial effects of scopolamine treatment on active avoidance behavior are independent from the effect s observed on intertrial activity since only the former are observed a fter drug withdrawal. Therefore, scopolamine treatment seems to induce a long lasting recovery process in frontal cortex ablated animals.