Enriched environment reverts behavioral deficits in a mouse model of perinatal protein malnutrition

CÁNEPA ET; CHERTOFF M; ALBERCA CD; BERARDINO BG

Jornada; Jornadas Interdisciplinarias de Química Biológica (JIQB); 2017

Departamento de Química Biológica

Introduction: Perinatal protein malnutrition produces deleterious effects on nervous system development that results in behavior disorders like anxiety and depression. Furthermore, there is evidence that exposure to an enriched environment leads to changes on central nervous system, improves memory and it has a beneficial effect on anxiety-like behavior. However, little is known about the effect of enriched environment on perinatal protein malnutrition. We expect that social and sensorial stimulation promote an improvement on behavior. Hence, we decided to study the social and sensory stimulation as a strategy to reverse the symptoms of anxiety- and depressive- like behaviors in a mice model of perinatal protein malnutrition.Model: CF1 dams received low protein diet (LP, 8% casein) or normal protein diet (NP, 20% casein) during gestation and lactation. After this period the litters of both treatments were exposed for 5 weeks to an enriched environment (EE) or a normal environment (EN). After this period anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors were tested.Results: We observed a significant effect of nutritional condition, with LP-EN group showing more anxiety traits than the NP-EN counterpart. Interestingly, the enriched environment diminished the anxiety levels in LP but not in NP mice.Conclusion: We suggest that anxious-like behavior induced by a deficient protein diet can be attenuated by social and sensory stimulation.