Nineteen normal male subjects received one milligram of physotigmine or one milligram of saline by slow intravenous infusion on two nonconsecutive days. Physostigmine significantly enhanced storage of information into long-term memory. Retrieval of information from long-term memory was improved. Short-term memory processes were not significantly…

The effects of particular drugs in human memory abilities was examined. The degree of memory enhancement produced by arecholine and choline and the impairment after scopolamaine were inversely proportional to the subject's performance in placebo; that is, "poor" performers were more vulnerable to the drugs than were "good" performers. (Author/CP)