The effects of somatostatin and somatostatin antiserum on the retention of passive avoidance behavior after neofrontal decortication in rats.

Rats were tested for passive avoidance behavior in a one-trial step-through learning paradigm. After the learning trial, the animals underwent neofrontal decortication or sham operation. On the 8th day after operation, the lesioned or sham-operated rats received intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of somatostatin (SST; 4 micrograms/2 microliters) or somatostatin antiserum (SST-AB; 2 microliters) 1 hr before the retention test. Decortication alone decreased the latency in comparison to that in the sham-operated group, and ICV treatment did not influence this impairment. After treatment with SST-AB the latency decreased, indicating that endogenous SST may play a role in the maintenance of normal memory processes.