2-DEOXY-D-GALACTOSE EFFECTS ON PASSIVE-AVOIDANCE MEMORIZATION IN THE RAT

2-Deoxy-D-galactose (do-gal) hinders glycoprotein fucosylation. This c ompound was intracerebroventricularly administered to male adult Wista r rats in order to assess whether it could exert amnesic effects on a passive avoidance response (PAR) to be learned in the light-dark box a pparatus. Three experiments were performed. In the first, do-gal was a dministered immediately after the acquisition trials at three dosages (2, 4, and 8 mu mol). It was found that only the 4-mu mol dosage was f ollowed by PAR disruption. In the second, do-gal was administered at t he adequate dosage (4 mu mol) either 30 min before the acquisition tri al or 30 min before retrieval testing. It was found that only the prer etrieval administration was followed by PAR impairment. In the third, do-gal (4 mu mol) was administered in postacquisition, at increasing p ostacquisition delays (0.25, 1.5, 4, and 6 h). It was found that there was PAR disruption only after do-gal administration at the shortest ( 0.25 h) delay. The results confirm that in the rat, glycoprotein fucos ylation is involved in some of the phases of memory trace processing, and they are discussed in relation to other findings in the rat and th e chick. (C) 1997 Academic Press.