The results of some studies suggest that 3,4-diaminopyridine (3,4-DAP), a drug that enhances the release of acetylcholine, may improve memory. The present study examined the ability of 3,4-DAP to reverse the memory impairment produced by scopolamine and the ability of 3,4-DAP and physostigmine to reverse the memory impairment produced by quinolinic acid lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (nbm) in rats. Mnemonic functioning was assessed with the use of a partially baited eight-arm radial maze. Entries into arms that were never baited were defined as reference memory errors; entries into baited arms from which the food already had been eaten were defined as working memory errors. In Experiment 1, 0.1 mg/kg scopolamine produced a significant increase in working and reference memory errors. Various doses of 3,4-DAP had no significant ameliorative effect on the mnemonic deficit. In Experiment 2, cholinergic function was impaired using a unilateral intra-nbm injection of quinolinic acid (120 nmol in 1.0 microliter). These lesions reduced the levels of the cholinergic marker, choline acetyltransferase, in the cortex by more than 40%. Results showed that the nbm lesion animals were significantly more impaired on the working than reference memory component of the task. Physostigmine (0.01, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.50 mg/kg) dose-dependently decreased the number of working but not reference memory errors. 3,4-DAP (10(-8), 10(-6), 10(-4), 10(-2), 10(0) mg/kg) had no reliable effect. It was concluded that physostigmine, but not 3,4-DAP, ameliorates memory impairments following decreases in cholinergic function.