Hypothermia-induced retrograde amnesia: Role of body temperature in memory retrieval

Abstract

The relationship of body temperature to the onset, and the subsequent alleviation, of hypothermia-induced retrograde amnesia (RA) was investigated. In Experiment 1, the retention of a passive avoidance task and the body temperature at the time of testing were assessed at intervals of 4, 8, 12, and 16 h after training/amnesic treatment. While retention was evident for up to 12 h posthypothermia treatment, it was clear that body temperature did not index magnitude of RA. A second experiment examined the alleviation of hypothermia-induced RA as a function of body temperature and retention interval. Memory recovery was facilitated at both 1- and 7-day intervals when testing occurred at 29°-31°C but not at 33°–35°C. The possibility of different mechanisms underlying retention after hypothermia and retrieval after recooling was suggested. An alternative explanation in terms of contextual cues and cue utilization was also discussed. © 1978, Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.