Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 4, 2026
Use of an Eight-arm Radial Water Maze to Assess Working and Reference Memory Following Neonatal Brain Injury
Published on: December 4, 2013
Clitoria ternatea (Linn) root extract treatment during growth spurt period enhances learning and memory in rats
K S Rai1, K D Murthy, K S Karanth
1Department of Physiology, K. M. C., Manipal-576 119.
Insights
Clitoria ternatea root extract (CTR) improved memory and spatial learning in young rats. These cognitive enhancements suggest CTR induces lasting changes in the brain, supporting its memory-enhancing properties.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Ethnobotany
Background:
- Clitoria ternatea (CTR) is a plant used in traditional medicine.
- Its potential cognitive-enhancing effects require scientific validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the memory-enhancing properties of Clitoria ternatea root extract in neonatal rats.
- To determine if CTR induces lasting neurological changes related to cognitive function.
Main Methods:
- Neonatal rats received aqueous root extract of Clitoria ternatea (50 or 100 mg/kg) or saline for 30 days.
- Behavioral tests (open field, passive avoidance, T-Maze) were conducted immediately and 30 days post-treatment.
- Performance was compared to age-matched controls.
Main Results:
- No significant changes were observed in open field behavior.
- Improved retention and spatial learning were noted in CTR-treated groups at both testing points.
- These improvements suggest a lasting effect of CTR on cognitive functions.
Conclusions:
- Aqueous root extract of Clitoria ternatea demonstrates significant memory-enhancing properties.
- The observed cognitive improvements indicate a potential for permanent alterations in the brain's neural pathways.
- CTR holds promise as a natural agent for cognitive enhancement.
Abstract:
Neonatal rat pups (7 days old) were intubated with either 50 mg/kg body weight or 100 mg/kg body weight of aqueous root extract of Clitoria ternatea (CTR) for 30 days. These rats were then subjected to open field, two compartment passive avoidance and spatial learning (T-Maze) tests (i) immediately after the treatment and (ii) 30 days after the treatment, along with age matched normal and saline control rats. Results showed no change in open field behaviour, but showed improved retention and spatial learning performance at both time points of behavioural tests, indicating the memory enhancing property of CTR which implicates a permanent change in the brain of CTR treated rats.
More Related Videos
09:45Motor and Hippocampal Dependent Spatial Learning and Reference Memory Assessment in a Transgenic Rat Model of Alzheimer's Disease with Stroke
Published on: March 22, 2016
07:25Simultaneous Monitoring of Wireless Electrophysiology and Memory Behavioral Test as a Tool to Study Hippocampal Neurogenesis
Published on: August 20, 2020