Regional brain uptake of 2-deoxy-D-glucose following training in a discriminated y-maze avoidance task.

Regional brain uptake of 2-deoxy-D-[14C]glucose (2-DG) was measured in mice following training in a discriminated Y-maze avoidance task. In comparison with yoked-control animals that could not escape the footshock, the animals that were trained had decreased uptake of 2-DG in the hippocampus and increased uptake in the striatum. There was no difference in 2-DG uptake between experimental and control animals in the cortex overlying the striatum. Additional control studies showed that 2-DG uptake into the brain was not influenced by ether anesthetization or the route of 2-DG administration (iv or ip). The results of this study indicate that the metabolic activity of regional brain areas following training may reflect the involvement of these structures in learning and memory processes.