BACABA CONSUMPTION IMPROVES COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE OF MICE

Bacaba (Oenocarpus bacaba) is an Amazonian fruit whose content of phenolic compounds, especially anthocyanins, gives it a high antioxidant capacity. Studies in animal models suggest that consumption of a high-fat diet represents a risk factor for the development of neurocognitive disorders, with impairments in memory and learning. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of bacaba consumption on the cognitive performance of animals fed a high-fat diet. All experiments were approved by CEUA/UNICAMP (protocol no. 5975-1/2022). Male Swiss mice were divided into groups that received: normal-fat diet (N); normal-fat diet with 5% bacaba (NB); high-fat diet (H); high-fat diet with 5% bacaba (HB). On the 11th week of treatment, the Novel Object Recognition Test (NOR) was applied to assess the acquisition and consolidation of learning and memory through the Discrimination Index of the Novel Object (ID). The animals that consumed bacaba showed an ID of 61.07% ± 13.76% and 61.07% ± 15.20% (NB and HB, respectively), while the N and H animals showed an ID of 51.79% ± 10.58% and 53.93% ± 14.92% respectively (p<0.05). Supplementation with bacaba, regardless of the fat contents of diet, improved the animals' performance in identifying the novel object. On the 12th week, the Passive Avoidance Test was applied to assess short- and long-term memories and learned inhibition, through the animal's latency period in the light compartment 1 and 24 hours after the aversive stimulus. When comparing HB and H groups, bacaba supplementation preserved both short-term memory (206.18' ± 97.20' vs 142.55' ± 86.02', respectively [p<0.0005]) and long-term memory (214.18' ± 79.56' vs 175.00' ± 97.31', respectively [p<0.05]). In this way, bacaba may represent an alternative strategy for preventing different clinical conditions and promoting health, including cognitive function.