Electroconvulsive shock-induced amnesia: an investigation of the reinstatement effect

Abstract

Three experiments were conducted to investigate the reinstatement effect, in which amnesia has been reported following the pairing of a noncontingent footshock and ECS. In experiment I the possibility that a FS-ECS combination is more effective than a single ECS at disrupting memory consolidation was examined. Rats trained on a passive avoidance task which received ECS 15 seconds after training showed a partial amnesia. A noncontingent footshock preceding ECS at 15 seconds did not augment this amnesia but rather attenuated it, providing no support for a consolidation interpretation of the reinstatement effect.