Amphetamine enhances retrieval following diverse sources of forgetting.

The generality of amphetamine-induced retrieval enhancement was investigated by determining whether pretest administration could alleviate different types of forgetting. Thirsty mice were punished for licking a water tube following a period of free drinking. Forgetting of the conditioned drink suppression was induced in different groups of animals by; protein synthesis inhibition, cholinergic receptor blockade, inhibition of norepinephrine synthesis, stimulation of serotonin receptors, electroconvulsive shock, a 2.5 month training to test interval and the use of senescent animals with an endogenous memory defect. Thirty min prior to testing mice were injected with either saline or with 2 mg/kg d-amphetamine sulphate. Results showed that amphetamine produced a highly significant improvement in remembering in all of the forgetting treatment groups. It is concluded that amphetamine can alleviate forgetting caused by widely diverse etiologies probably by activating a nonspecific general retrieval system.