Abstract
The behavioral effects and effects on serum cholesterol of diets containing different fats were studied in Long-Evans hooded rats. Adult males were fed one of four diets: AIN-76A, Group CON; AIN-76A plus 20% safflower oil, Group POLY; AIN-76A plus 20% coconut oil, Group SAT; AIN-76A plus 20% olive oil, Group MONO. After 29 days, the rats were tested for irritability toward handling, open-field activity, passive-avoidance learning on a modified apparatus, and visual discrimination learning with reversal. The rats in Group POLY had lower total-cholesterol-to-HDL- cholesterol ratios than did animals in any other group. Except for shorter latencies by Group MONO rats to leave the platform on the passive-avoidance training trials, no behavioral differences were observed.
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This research was supported in part by an institutional grant from the National Science Foundation to Mississippi State University. The authors would also like to thank Joe Washington for help in the data collection.
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Thorne, B.M., Popma, R. & Essig, W. Dietary fatty acids, cholesterol, and behavior in the rat. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 28, 129–132 (1990). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03333983
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03333983