PubMed · 1789927
Acute phorbol ester treatment improves spatial learning performance in rats.
Abstract
Recent findings have lead researchers to speculate that hippocampal protein kinase C (PKC) in rodents is involved in spatial learning and memory. The purpose of this study was to determine if treating rats with a compound known to increase PKC activity would improve performance in a task that requires spatial learning processes. Rats were treated with a single intracerebroventricular injection of a phorbol ester, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) that is known to increase PKC activity and then tested on the hidden-platform version of the Morris water taks. Results showed that PDBu-treated subjects' ability to learn to locate the escape platform was better than controls. In addition, PDBu-treated subjects showed signs of having remembered the location of the platform better than controls when tested 24 h later. These results support a role of brain PKC in processes required to learn the Morris water task.
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R Paylor, J W Rudy, J M Wehner. 1991-11-26. Acute phorbol ester treatment improves spatial learning performance in rats.. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0166-4328(05)80085-3
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