Correlations between the effects of CNS stimulants on memory processes and open field behavior of rats: the importance of brain cholinergic activity.

Wistar rats were tested in open field immediately after training on a discriminative-motor task in a maze or after retention tests given 24 hr later. The animals were treated with CNS stimulants: caffeine, strychnine and amphetamine applied alone or in combination with atropine before or immediately after the training session. The CNS stimulants improved learning and retention of rats, increased their emotionality after acquisition and facilitated their habituation in the new environment in the period of retention. Atropine abolished both the memory and behavioral effects of the CNS stimulants. The results favor the view about common mechanisms in the memory effects of CNS stimulants.