Chronic Mild Unpredictable Stress and High-Fat Diet Given during Adolescence Impact Both Cognitive and Noncognitive Behaviors in Young Adult Mice

Abstract

Stress and diet are intricately linked, and they often interact in a negative fashion. Increases in stress can lead to poor food choices; adolescence is a period that is often accompanied by increased levels of stress. Stress and poor dietary choices can affect learning and memory; it is important to understand their combined effects when occurring during crucial developmental periods. Here, we present evidence that chronic mild unpredictable stress (CMUS) and high-fat diet (HFD) impact both cognitive and noncognitive behaviors when assessed after four weeks of manipulation in four-week old mice. CMUS mice had increased anxiety in the open field test (OFT) (p = 0.01) and spent more time in the open arms of the elevated zero maze (EZM) (p < 0.01). HFD administration was shown to interact with CMUS to impair spatial memory in the Morris Water Maze (MWM) (p < 0.05). Stress and diet also led to disturbances in non-cognitive behaviors: CMUS led to significantly more burrowing (p < 0.05) and HFD administration led to the poorer nest construction (p < 0.05). These findings allow for researchers to assess how modifying lifestyle factors (including diet and stress) during adolescence can serve as a potential strategy to improve cognition in young adulthood.

Suppressive Effects of Isofraxidin on Depressive-like Behaviors Induced by Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress in Mice

“…The CUMS process was executed with minor adjustments according to previous publications [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. The CUMS groups were exposed to CUMS every day from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. To make the procedure unpredictable, procedures were scheduled arbitrarily and altered weekly.…”

“…The SPT was administered using protocols previously reported with slight modifications [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Animals were deprived of food and drink for 12 h ahead of the test.…”

“…We assessed the actions of isofraxidin and CUMS on spontaneous locomotor activity using OFT, as described in previous reports [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. The device was divided into 12 equal squares (500 × 500 × 500 mm).…”

“…The FST was carried out as previously reported with minor adjustments [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. In brief, animals were put individually in a transparent glass cylinder (200 × 200 mm) containing water at about 25 °C.…”

“…The effects of isofraxidin on neuroinflammation and oxidative stress suggest that it can prevent and cure depressive-like conditions. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depressive models are extensively utilized for testing antidepressant effectiveness [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. In this work, we sought to examine the effects of isofraxidin on depression in mice induced by CUMS.…”