Lidocaine attenuates anisomycin-induced amnesia and release of norepinephrine in the amygdala

► Intra-amygdala anisomycin impaired memory tested 48 h after inhibitory avoidance training. ► Anisomycin produced supra-physiological increases in amygdale norepinephrine (NE) release. ► Lidocaineattenuated amnesia and increases in NE releasebut not protein synthesis inhibition. ► The findings uncouple anisomycin-induced inhibition of protein synthesis from amnesia. ► Protein synthesis inhibitors may not reveal a protein-dependent phase of memory formation.