Assessment of executive function in a rodent model of Type 1 diabetes

This study examined the impact of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) on executive function using a series of operant conditioning-based tasks in rats. Sprague Dawley rats were randomized to either non-diabetic (n = 12; 6 male) or diabetic (n = 14; 6 male) groups. Diabetes was induced using multiple low-dose streptozotocin injections. All diabetic rodents were insulin-treated using subcutaneous insulin pellet implants (9-15 mM). At week 14 of the study, rats were placed on a food restricted diet to induce 5-10 % weight loss. Rodents were familiarized and their set-shifting ability was tested on a series of tasks that required continuous adjustments to novel stimulus-reward paradigms in order to receive food rewards. Results showed no differences in the number of trials, nor number and type of errors made to successfully complete each task between groups. Therefore, we report no differences in executive function, or more specifically set-shifting abilities between non-diabetic and diabetic rodents that receive insulin.