Effects of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids on corticosterone concentrations and spatial learning in rats

Autor(en)
Thomas Jost, Matthias Nemeth, Eva Millesi, Carina Siutz
Abstrakt

Dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is crucial for neuronal functions, can positively affect cognition, and reduce glucocorticoid (e.g. corticosterone) concentrations in response to stress. We investigated the effects of walnut oil high in PUFAs on spatial cognition and fecal corticosterone metabolite (FCM) concentrations under non-stressed conditions in rats. Unexpectedly, PUFA-supplemented rats had higher FCM concentrations and elevated concentrations generally impaired learning in the subsequent T-maze task. Statistically adjusting for individual FCM concentrations, however, revealed that learning performance was improved in PUFA-supplemented rats. The results suggest that glucocorticoids can modulate the effects of PUFAs on spatial learning under normal (non-stressed) conditions and call for consideration of basal physiological conditions in spatial learning tasks.

Organisation(en)
Department für Verhaltens- und Kognitionsbiologie
Externe Organisation(en)
Universität Wien
Journal
Behavioural Processes
Band
198
Anzahl der Seiten
4
ISSN
0376-6357
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104642
Publikationsdatum
05-2022
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ÖFOS 2012
106051 Verhaltensbiologie
Schlagwörter
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Animal Science and Zoology, Behavioral Neuroscience
Link zum Portal
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/de/publications/effects-of-dietary-polyunsaturated-fatty-acids-on-corticosterone-concentrations-and-spatial-learning-in-rats(e054db69-1573-4a83-9dfe-442fd2921e79).html