Effects of cycloheximide administered in conjunction with nicotine on retention of a passive avoidance task in mice.

Retention of a passive avoidance task was studied in mice given either cycloheximide or cycloheximide in combination with nicotine. Two similar experiments were conducted: In the first experiment, the effects, of these drugs were studied in inbred C57Bl/6J mice. In the second experiment, the effects of these drugs were studied in genetically heterogenous mice. Cycloheximide was found to have a deleterious effect on retention of the passive avoidance task. Larger doses of cycloheximide were found to be necessary to disrupt memory in heterogenous mice than in C57Bl/6J animals. Nicotine, when administered in conjunction with cycloheximide, abolished the memory disruptive effects of cycloheximide. The results of these experiments are discussed in terms of a time-dependent consolidation model of memory storage.