Memory disruption in mice by brief posttrial immersion in hot or cold water

Immersed 24 Swiss-Webster male albino mice in 48- or 1- C water for 10 sec. immediately following training on a single-trial passive avoidance task. Retention, tested 24 hr. later, was significantly impaired by each of these treatments. A temporal gradient was obtained by immersing Ss in cold water either 0, 2, 10, or 30 sec. following the avoidance trial. Retention was significantly impaired for the 0- and 2-sec groups. These results, plus the appropriate controls, indicate that memory disruption can be obtained with stimuli applied to the peripheral nervous system in the absence of both gross changes in the normal electrical or chemical state of the brain and large changes in body temperature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).