Recovery of amnestic effect of alpha-amanitin by post-training administration of d-amphetamine in the rat.

alpha-Amanitin, an inhibitor of RNA polymerase II, given intraventricularly 6 or 24 h before training, impaired consolidation of both passive and active avoidance responses in rats. Administration of d-amphetamine sulfate (0.5 mg/kg intraperitoneally) immediately after training produced a clear-cut antiamnestic effect in alpha-amanitin-injected rats without modifying consolidation in control animals. Examination of several parameters of conditioning enabled the authors to rule out an impairment in locomotor performance of alpha-amanitin-treated rats both in training and in test sessions. The amnestic effect of alpha-amanitin and recovery by means of d-amphetamine were discussed in relation to RNA synthesis inhibition and a possible restoring effect of d-amphetamine upon alpha-amanitin-induced decrease of brain RNA content.