A Low-Protein Diet Alters Rat Behavior and Neurotransmission in Normothermic and Hyperthermic Environments
Abstract
Dietary protein contains amino acids used in the brain for synthesis of neurotransmitters. Although information on pre-and post-natal exposure to low-protein diets in rodents is available, little is known about the effects of such diets on adult humans. Therefore, the behavioral and neurochemical consequences of exposure to a brief (11 days), low-protein (4%) diet in animals exposed to normothermic and hyperthermic test conditions were examined. In separate groups of animals, the Porsolt Swim test and elevated plus maze were administered. These tasks are sensitive to nutritional and/or environmental manipulations. In other groups of rats exposed to the same dietary and environmental conditions, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and serotonin in the striatum were assessed using microdialysis. In the Porsolt Swim test, which assess coping behavior, performance was impaired under normothermic and hyperthermic conditions in animals on the low-protein diet. Performance on the plus maze, a measure of exploration and anxiety, was altered in the hyperthermic condition by low protein, with the diet increasing exploration. Microdialysis detected increased norepinephrine in the striatum of hyperthermic animals on the low-protein diet. This study demonstrates that changes in stress-related behaviors of adult animals occur following brief exposure to low-protein diets.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 31, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA444450
Entities
People
- Harris R Lieberman
- Sylva K. Yeghiayan
- Timothy J. Maher
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine