Septal infusions of glucose or pyruvate with muscimol impair spontaneous alternation.

This experiment examined the effects of co-infusing the GABA agonist muscimol (0.5 nmol) with 33 nmol of glucose, pyruvate, fructose or sorbitol into the medial septum on spontaneous alternation. Only co-infusions of muscimol with glucose or pyruvate impaired spontaneous alternation performance; none of the other infusions had any significant effects. The findings suggest that glucose metabolism rather than hyperosmolarity is involved in the memory-impairing interaction between glucose and muscimol.