Effect of Vitamin C Supplementation on Learning and Memory in CD1 Mice

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), an ‘over the counter’ supplement, has numerous physiological functions and it is found in high concentrations in the brain. The effect of vitamin C on cognitive memory and visuospatial memory was studied using the Novel Object recognition task (NORT) and the Morris water maze (MWM) respectively. Twenty Swiss white albino (CD1) mice, within the age of 90-120 days, were randomly divided into two groups of ten mice each. Mice in group 1 served as the control and so received normal saline orally while the other group received vitamin C (200 mg/kg) orally for 21 days. All animals had access to feed and water ad libitum. Behavioural testing started on day 21. There was no significant difference in swim latencies between the control and test groups in the MWM though there was a uniform reduction in swim latency in both groups during acquisition and reversal training days. There also was no significant difference in quadrant duration and swim latencies of both groups in the probe trial and the visible platform task. The habituation index is significantly higher in the test group compared to control in the short term inter trial interval of the Novel Object recognition task (NORT). However there was no significant difference in the index of habituation in both groups in the long term inter trial interval of the NORT. There also was a significantly higher index of discrimination in the vitamin C treated group compared to control in the short term inter trial interval of the NORT. There was no significant difference in the index of discrimination in the long term inter trial interval of the NORT. Vitamin C did not affect learning as both groups learned equally well during training in the MWM. It also did not affect visuospatial memory. However, Vitamin C improved short term cognitive memory in the NORT.