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A Within-Subject Experimental Design using an Object Location Task in Rats
Published on: May 6, 2021
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Licorice root components mimic estrogens in an object location task but not an object recognition task.
Payel Kundu1, Donna L Korol2, Suren Bandara1
1University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Neuroscience Program, 405 N Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Hormones and Behavior
|June 20, 2018
Summary
Components of licorice root, including isoliquiritigenin and licorice root extract, enhanced object location memory in rats. However, they did not improve performance on a different recognition task, suggesting potential for targeted memory enhancement therapies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Licorice root and its components are explored for potential therapeutic benefits.
- Estrogens are known to influence cognitive functions, impacting hippocampus- and striatum-sensitive tasks differently.
- Ovariectomized (OVX) animal models are used to study hormonal effects on cognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of isoliquiritigenin (ISL), licorice root extract (LRE), and whole licorice root powder (LRP) on recognition memory in rats.
- To compare the efficacy of licorice components with estradiol on hippocampus-sensitive (MCOL) and striatum-sensitive (DOR) tasks.
- To determine if licorice components can enhance memory without impairing other cognitive functions.
Main Methods:
- Young adult female rats were ovariectomized (OVX) and fed diets containing ISL, LRE, or LRP.
- Rats performed a metric change in object location (MCOL) task and a double object recognition (DOR) task.
- Performance was assessed by measuring object exploration time in a test trial compared to study trials.
Main Results:
- Estradiol improved MCOL performance and impaired DOR performance, consistent with known estrogenic effects on cognition.
- LRP had no significant effect on either recognition task.
- ISL and LRE significantly improved MCOL performance, indicating enhanced hippocampus-dependent memory.
- None of the licorice components attenuated DOR performance, unlike estradiol.
Conclusions:
- Components of licorice root, specifically ISL and LRE, show potential for enhancing hippocampus-sensitive memory functions.
- These findings suggest that licorice root components may offer therapeutic benefits for memory enhancement.
- Further research is warranted to explore the therapeutic potential of licorice root for cognitive enhancement without adverse effects on other cognitive domains.
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