Does caffeine therapy improve cognitive impairments in valproic acid rat model of autism

Background and Aim : Autism spectrum condition is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Pregnant rats’ exposure to valproic Acid (VPA) causes cognitive deficits in pups similar to those observed in humans with autism- like behaviors. Caffeine therapy is an important pharmacological research line for studying the involvement of adenosine receptors in cognitive functions. Here, we investigate the effects of caffeine on cognitive, anxiety-like behaviors and social functions of offspring’s rats following congenital VPA administration using by Morris water maze (MWM), Elevated plus maze, and three chamber social assay, respectively.Methods : On postnatal day 21, male rats received caffeine orally in drinking water at a dose of 1mg/mL for 30 days. The pups were divided into four groups as follows: (1) vehicle (treated by saline), (2) VPA group, (3) Caffeine group and (4) VPAþCaffeineResults : We observed remarkable learning and memory impairments, increased anxiety like behaviors and social interaction deficits which were observed in autism rats can improve after caffeine therapy.Conclusion : our results suggest that VPA could disrupt some aspects of cognitive, social and anxiety- like behaviors but chronic administration of Caffeine may partly restore these behaviors close to vehicle treated animals in this rat model.

کلیدواژه ها:

Autism ، Valproic Acid (VPA) ، Caffeine ، Morris water maze ، plus maze ، social interactions