<p> Poster No. 12</p><p>Title: Diet-Induced Obesity Alters Cognitive Performance in Adult Male Rats Authors: Wendy Foulds Mathes and Robin Kanarek Presented by: Wendy Foulds Mathes Department(s): Department of Psychology, Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences</p><p>Abstract: Obesity and type 2 diabetes are reaching epidemic proportions in the United States. Increases in intake of palatable high-fat and/or high sugar foods and decreases in energy output are major contributors to this epidemic. Although data indicate that type 2 diabetes in older individuals and type 1 in younger individuals are associated with deficits in cognitive behavior, little is known about the effects of type 2 diabetes or the metabolic syndrome in younger organisms. The present study examined the effects of the physiological precursors of type 2 diabetes on cognitive performance in young adult male Long-Evans rats. Rats were fed either Purina Chow alone or Purina Chow and either a 32% sucrose solution or Crisco for 8 weeks with food intakes measured every other day. To assess the effects of diet on cognitive performance, rats were tested on an object recognition task. Rats fed either sucrose or Crisco in addition to chow consumed significantly more calories per day and gain more weight than those fed only chow. Additionally, rats given sucrose or Crisco had more body fat, displayed glucose intolerance, and were less sensitive to insulin than those consuming only chow. Performance on the object recognition task was impaired in rats fed either sucrose or fat relative to rats fed only chow. These findings indicate that in addition to leading to obesity and related metabolic abnormalities, intake of a high-sucrose or high-fat diet can lead to deficits in performance of cognitive tasks. </p><p>14</p>