The Effects of Aspartame on Memory in Rats

• Main Author: Berny, Meghan Christine
• Other Authors: Timothy M Barth
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: Texas Christian University 2008
• Subjects: College of Science and Engineering
• Online Access: http://etd.tcu.edu/etdfiles/available/etd-10272008-090832/

The food additive aspartame, commonly known by its trademark name NutraSweet, is used world wide in over 5000 food and beverages. Anecdotal and experimental evidence suggest aspartame may have detrimental effects on cognition and memory. In the present study, rats were fed aspartame for a 3 month period and their spatial memory was tested in the radial arm maze. It was hypothesized that rats who received aspartame would commit more memory errors than control rats that were not fed aspartame. Previous evidence also suggests aspartic acid creates lesions in the brain areas surrounding circumventricular organs (CVO). The present study attempted to replicate those findings. Results from the present study found that animals that were given aspartame committed significantly more long-term memory errors and short-term memory errors in the eight arm radial-arm maze. The deficits were mostly related to errors in the first trial. The results also suggested animals given aspartame had significantly fewer neurons in the arcuate nucleus when compared to control animals.