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Abstract
The study investigated the effects of ‘low doses’ of monosodium glutamate (MSG) on hippocampal-related (spontaneous working-memory, memory-recall and anxiety) behaviours, and hippocampal glutamate/glutamine levels. A two-trial Y-maze test and 8-arm radial-arm maze spontaneous working-memory test were used to assess the effects of acute and repeated administration of MSG, on novel-arm choice on retrial and spatial working-memory; while anxiety-related behaviors were assessed in the elevated plus maze. In the elevated plus maze, radial-arm maze and Y-maze, MSG administration was associated with significant anxiolytic and memory-enhancing effects at 10 mg/kg (after both acute and repeated dosing); however, higher doses used in this study were associated with significant anxiogenesis and memory retardation. Hippocampal glutamate and glutamine levels did not increase significantly at any of the doses of MSG. In conclusion, MSG administration at low doses was associated with significant changes in hippocampal-dependent behaviours without a concomitant significant shift in hippocampal glutamate/glutamine levels.
Highlights
The mammalian central nervous system produces and modulates behaviour through cycles of complex interactions involving neurotransmitters and their receptors
Effects of monosodium glutamate on time spent in the novel arm on retrial
Our study in mice revealed that acute and repeated administration of monosodium glutamate (MSG) was associated with: (1) no significant effect on body weight (2) enhancement of spatial recognition and spatial working-memory at 10 mg/kg while impairing both at higher doses (3) mixed anxiety-related response, (4) an increase in plasma glutamate and glutamine levels at high doses, while only a non-significant trend towards an increase in hippocampal levels was seen
Summary
The mammalian central nervous system produces and modulates behaviour through cycles of complex interactions involving neurotransmitters and their receptors. MSG is metabolised to yield free glutamate, which is not biochemically different from the endogenous ligand, and studies have shown that MSG administration results in reproducible behavioural changes in rodents [7,8]. Studies have shown that daily MSG consumption in human averages about 0.3–1.0 g [9], there are variations amongst different nationalities all over the world. In Asia, average consumption ranges from between 1.2–1.7 g/day [11)] in Korea and Japan, to 3–3.8 g/day in Taiwan and China [12]. Amongst the Thai population, MSG consumption ranges between 0.4–14 g/day, with an average daily intake of 6 g [13]. There is the need to study the morphological changes associated with MSG, and its effects on hippocampal-dependent behaviours
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