Effects of a ketogenic diet on recognition memory and locomotor activity

Abstract

Ketones are generally considered neuroprotective and may have therapeutic potential in conditions such as Alzheimer’s and other diseases in which cognition is impaired. The novel object recognition (NOR) assay is a widely‐used test of non‐spatial memory that relies, not on food reward or survival instincts, but on rodents’ innate predisposition to explore in the absence of external stimuli. Here we investigated whether a ketogenic diet (KD) enhances behavioral recognition memory. Adult‐to‐middle‐aged male and female mice were placed on a ketogenic diet supplemented with an exogenous ketone ester for eight weeks and memory was assessed in a two‐object novel object recognition test. We observed trends toward significant improvements in recognition memory (p=0.12) and velocity (p=0.066), and a significant increase in total distance traveled (p=0.047) in the KD mice compared to controls. These data suggest a KD induces beneficial locomotor adaptations, but cognitively, may be more relevant in conditions associated with more severe cognitive deficits.