035— Working Memory and Locomotor Activity in Old and Young Mice Fed a Ketogenic Diet

The ketogenic diet (KD), a high-fat, low-carb diet, has recently been used to treat disorders associated with an inflexibility of cognitive and behavioral routines, such as dementia and autism spectrum disorder. However, there has been little investigation into how KD’s beneficial effects on cognitive behavior may change with age. Here, we show the effects of KD on performance in a working memory task and locomotor activity in young and old C57BL6/J mice. In Experiment 1, we used a Barnes Maze to assess working memory. In the Barnes Maze, mice locate an escape box under a target hole by using spatial cues. Each day the target hole is moved to a new location. We found that mice on KD performed better, indicated by shorter latencies to find the target hole. However, only the young mice on KD made fewer errors. To check for differences in activity between mice on KD and mice fed a normal diet, Experiment 2 employed a 1h locomotor test. KD increased horizontal activity in young and old mice. Thus, regardless of age, mice fed KD performed better in a working memory task and were more active. Findings may be useful for using KD as a therapy.