Decreased memory for novel object recognition in chronically food-restricted mice is reversed by acute ghrelin administration

• Published in: Neuroscience Vol. 153; no. 4; pp. 929 - 934
• Main Authors: Carlini, V.P, Martini, A.C, Schiöth, H.B, Ruiz, R.D, Fiol de Cuneo, M, de Barioglio, S.R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 02.06.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight - physiology; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Exploratory Behavior - drug effects; Exploratory Behavior - physiology; Female; food restriction; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; ghrelin; Ghrelin - administration & dosage; Ghrelin - blood; Liver - drug effects; Liver - physiology; Maze Learning - drug effects; MEDICIN; MEDICINE; Memory Disorders - drug therapy; Memory Disorders - etiology; Memory Disorders - pathology; memory retention; Mice; Neurology; Organ Size - drug effects; Organ Size - physiology; plus maze test; Recognition (Psychology) - drug effects; spontaneous object recognition test; Starvation - complications; Time Factors; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; EPM; spontaneous object recognition test; plus maze test; food restriction; elevated plus maze; ACSF; FR; standard error mean; artificial cerebrospinal fluid; multiple analysis of variance; S.E.M; Ghr; memory retention; ghrelin; analysis of variance; ANOVA; growth hormone secretagogues receptor sub-type 1a; GHS-R; MANOVA; Recognition memory; Acute; Memory; Rodentia; Feeding; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Ghrelin; Animal; Restricted diet
• ISSN: 0306-4522; 1873-7544; 1873-7544
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.03.015

Abstract It has been demonstrated, in normal and aged rats and mice, that acute i.c.v. ghrelin (Ghr) administration increases memory retention. In order to evaluate if this treatment, restores memory retention in animals exhibiting impaired memory, in the present work we selected a chronic food restriction mouse model (since undernutrition prejudices higher nervous functions). We employed adult female mice with 28 days of 50% food restriction and evaluated: a) behavioral performance using novel object recognition test for memory, and plus maze for anxiety-like behavior, b) some morphometric parameters as body and hepatic weights and c) plasma Ghr levels. The animals with 50% food restriction showed an increase in plasma Ghr levels and a decrease in morphometric parameters and in the percentage of novel object recognition time. When the peptide was i.c.v. injected in food-restricted animals (0.03, 0.3 or 3.0 nmol/μl), memory increases in relation to food-restricted mice injected with vehicle, reaching a performance similar to controls.