Behavioural brain research
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In an effort to understand the involvement of dorsal hippocampal nitric oxide system in ethanol (ETOH)-induced state-dependent memory, the effects of microinjection of l-arginine (a precursor of nitric oxide) and/or l-NAME (a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor) into the CA1 regions of dorsal hippocampus on this kind of memory were examined. In order to assess memory retrieval, a single trial step-down inhibitory avoidance task was used in mice. Pre-training intraperitoneal administration of ETOH (0.5 and 1g/kg) dose dependently caused amnesia, while pre-test administration of the same doses of ETOH restored the retrieval and induced state-dependent memory. ⋯ Pre-test intra-CA1 microinjection of l-arginine or l-NAME could not affect ETOH-induced amnesia. In addition, l-arginine-induced inhibition of the pre-test ETOH response was decreased by pre-test microinjection of l-NAME. The ensemble of these observations suggests that ETOH-induced state-dependent memory can be modulated through the dorsal hippocampal nitric oxide system.