SUCROSE CONSUMPTION IN EARLY STAGES OF LIFE AFFECTS FEAR RELATED BEHAVIOR IN ADULTHOOD

LEW, S.; COIRINI, H.; KRUSE, M.S.

Chascomus

Congreso; XVI Jornadas Anuales de la Sociedad Argentina de Biología; 2014

Sociedad Argentina de Biologia

Sugar consumption has increased dramatically in our society, a phenomenon that is primarily associated with increased obesity and diabetes in the population. However, whether this overconsumption has an impact on the developing CNS remains unknown. Here we studied the effects of unlimited access to sucrose (sac) in early stages of development on fear conditioning (FC) behavior in adulthood. Methods and Results: 25-50 days old (PD) rats had free access to 10% sucrose in water and water. The control group had access only to water. Rats in group sac, privileged to take this drink over the water, consuming a larger volume (+33%, p<0.0001). Weight differences were only observed at PD 33-40 (-30% sac vs control, p<0.005). After treatment all animals drank only water for another 25 days and they were tested for FC. The animals were conditioned by 5 cycles of a neutral tone (10s, 1500Hz, 85dB) combined with a foot shock (1s, 0.4mA) 20s after the end of the tone. 24 hours later, the tones were presented without shocks (15 trials, 60s intervals). The test was video-recorded and the freezing time per trial/animal was measured. The group sac presented greater freezing time compared to control (p<0.05) indicating a behavior disorder related to the limbic system. (PIP 860).