Maternal Methyl-Enriched Diet Improves Episodic Memory and Does Not Affect the Conditioned Fear Memory in Offspring of WAG/RIJ Rats

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to find out what effect the maternal methyl-enriched diet (MED) in the perinatal period exerts on cognitive functions in adult offspring of WAG/Rij rats, a genetic model of absence epilepsy with comorbid depression. Cognitive functions (learning and memory) were evaluated in tests of a novel object recognition (NOR) and a conditioning of fear memory (fear conditioning). The experiments were carry out on 6-months old male WAG/Rij rats. The mothers of the experimental group fed MED, and the mothers of the control group fed the control diet. The NOR test was used to assess episodic memory. This test is based on innate exploratory motivation (novelty preference motivation), which is usually reduced in depression. The conditioning of fear memory is the classic Pavlovian defensive conditioned reflex, manifested in the form of freezing reactions in response to negative reinforcement (electrical stimulation of paws). In the NOR test, in rats of the experimental group the recognition index (a measure of episodic memory), as well as the number of entries to the center of the arena (a measure of explorative motivation) were significantly higher compared with corresponding measures in the control group. However, no intergroup differences were found in the manifestation of the conditioned fear memory (% of freezing reactions) to the context and sound signal. The results indicate that the maternal MED improves episodic memory in the NOR test, but does not affect the conditioned fear memory associated with context and sound signal in adult offspring of WAG/Rij rats.

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About the authors

E. A. Fedosova

Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS

Author for correspondence.
Email: ekaterina5fedosova@rambler.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

A. B. Shatskova

Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS

Email: ekaterina5fedosova@rambler.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

K. Yu. Sarkisova

Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS

Email: ekaterina5fedosova@rambler.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

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2. Fig. 1. The index of recognition of a new object after 1 hour (IR 1 – in test phase 1, T2) and after 24 hours (IR 2 – in test phase 2, T3) after the presentation of two identical objects. CD is a control diet, MED is a methyl enriched diet. *p < 0.05 – in rats of the WAG/Rij line born to mothers who consumed MOD, compared with rats of the WAG/Rij line born to mothers who consumed CD.

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3. Fig. 2. The influence of the mother's modes on the development of conditioned reflex fear reaction in rats of the WAG/Rij line. % of fading reactions in the background during training (a) and testing (c). % of fading reactions to a conditioned stimulus (sound) during training (b) and testing (d). Vertically – % of fading reactions. 1 – % of fading reactions when placed in a chamber without the effect of sound (context), 2 – % of fading reactions when exposed to sound (signal stimulus). The gray lines placed above the graphs, bounded on both sides, show each phase of the test with an indication of their duration. ## p < 0.01, ### p < 0.001 – on the day of testing (2nd day) compared to the day of training (1st day).

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4. Fig. 3. The effect of the mother's MODE on pain sensitivity in rats of the WAG/Rij line (latent period of tail twitching, tail flick latency). CD is a control diet, MED is a methyl enriched diet.

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