Effect of intermittent feeding on learning and spatial memory and metabolic symptoms of chronic stress in male mice

Memory and learning are the putative targets for the stressors by some biochemical reactions such as glucocorticoid hormones. Intermittent feeding is a kind of dietary behavior with some reported positive efficacy on the various systems of the body. The aim of this study was the evaluation of intermittent feeding on learning and spatial memory in the male mice under chronic stress.
Thirty-six male NMRI mice were divided in four groups; control and stress groups received enough food and water but intermittent feeding (IF) group and stressed mice plus IF treatment group were under food and water deprivation two hours in a day for two weeks. The stress condition was performed by foot shock electronic during the second week. Subsequently, Barnes maze test was performed to evaluate learning and memory for all groups in third week and the plasma corticosterone level was determined by corticosterone elisa kit.
We indicated that chronic stress led to a significant enhancement in plasma corticosterone level but IF could inhibit this elevation in the stressed mice and significantly reduced learning and memory time.
The findings showed that IF could improve learning and spatial memory in the male mice under stress.