Retrograde amnesia in praying mantis after two successive learning processes.

Learning and memory consolidation was investigated in the mantis Stagmatoptera biocellata, by two successive trainings: a) the attack (A) avoidance training in which animals were not allowed to catch a mobile star, followed by the deimatic reaction (DR) avoidance training of not displaying this defensive response, or b) DR-avoidance training followed by A-avoidance training. The results showed that the presence and the 1 of A-avoidance learning and DR-avoidance learning did not affect the learning of the other training. Total retention of A-avoidance memory was demonstrated when A-avoidance training was given first, whereas DR-avoidance memory was significantly lost (716%) when the DR-avoidance training was given first. The retroactive forgetting of DR-avoidance memory is considered as retrograde amnesia rather than retroactive memory inhibition because it depends on the activity during A-avoidance training (number of attacks) and not the quantity of A-avoidance learning. The magnitude of the amnesic effect due to this distracting activity in the A-avoidance training appears to be remarkably similar to that reported in a previous work using nitrogen-induced anoxia as the amnesic factor.