345 - The Effects of Alcohol and Ketogenic Diet on Working Memory in Mice

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high fat, low carb diet which is growing in popularity as a possible method to improve working memory and prevent alcohol use disorder (AUD). We used a mouse model where half of the mice were fed a standard diet (SD) while the other half were fed the KD. All mice experienced a 7 week drinking period where they were introduced to alcohol for 2 hours, 3 days a week. We then tested the mice in a working memory task. We modeled working memory using the Barnes maze. Mice escaped to a target hole in the maze using spatial cues. Each of the 4 trial days, a new target hole was chosen. We found no correlation between alcohol and maze performance and KD improved working memory independent of alcohol use history.