Cognitive Enhancing Effect ofMurraya koengiiLeaves by Radial Arm Maze Test in Rats

Abstract

The study was designed to assess the cognitive enhancing potential of Murraya koengii leaves by using radial arm maze test in albino rats. The radial arm maze test consists of a total 7 days session. During first 6 days training session (habituation phase) rats were placed individually in the central hub and were allowed to choose the arm containing the food freely for a period of 5 minutes. The time taken by each rat to find the food was considered to assess RAM performance. Latency to find the food was noted as an index of memory. The same procedure was repeated with test and standard treated rats after one hour of administration of murraya koengii chloroform extract 100 mg/kg and Piracetam 200 mg/kg. After 6 days training session, 7th day session includes induction of short term memory loss in control rats by administration of propofol 0.5 ml/200g (amnesia inducer) followed by latency to find the food is noted for a period of 5 minutes for each rat. Repeat the same propofol treatment on 7th day for test and standard treated rats after 1 hr of administration of extract (Murraya koenigii 100mg/kg) and piracetam (200mg/kg) and the latency to find was recorded for 5 minutes. It was found that the latency to find food on 7th day of radial arm maze test in control rats after administration of propofol is 2.59 seconds, whereas latency to find food with test extract treated rats on 7th day was found to be 2.20 seconds. This suggests that decrease in the latency for food (sec) with Murraya koengii leaves extract has significantly increased the memorizing ability of rats to find food. Hence it indicates that Murraya koenigii leaves at a dose of 100mg/kg produces significant cognitive enhancing potential in albino rats. However the memory enhancing potential of Murraya koenigii leaves was found to be lesser that standard drug piracetam (latency for food 2.05 seconds) in Radial arm maze test.