Effects of dietary restriction on learning and memory ability in rats

Objective To explore sex-related effects of dietary restriction(DR) on learning and memory in rats.Methods Male and female rats were fed a standard rodent diet and libitum(control),80% of control(20% DR),60% of control(40% DR),or 50% of control(50% DR) for 30 days.Then,the ability of learning and memory of the male and female rats was measured by the Morris water maze.Results Body weight of the DR rats was reduced relative to the controls except that of the 20% DR group.Learning and memory retention test in the Morris maze demonstrated that 40% DR and 50% DR increased learning but not retention in male rats,whereas neither learning nor retention was affected in females.Conclusion DR produces sex-dependent effects on learning.