Effects of carbohydrate precursors of glycoproteins on retention performance of a brightness discrimination task in rats.

The influence of intraventricularly applied carbohydrate precursors of glycoproteins on acquisition and retention of a brightness discrimination task in rats was tested. The injection of 0.8 mumoles L-fucose/animal, N-acetylneuraminic acid or D-galactosamine as well as 2.4 mumoles/animal D-galactose or D-glucosamine 30 min before starting the behavioural experiments significantly improved the retention performance of the acquired behaviour. The intraventricular application of 2.4 mumoles D-mannose/animal had no influence on the behavioural parameters tested. The results are discussed in the light of an activation of glycoprotein formation in brain tissue mainly by carbohydrates which occupy terminal positions in the oligosaccharide chains.