Introduction: Untreated chronic diabetes can lead to the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain, reflecting signs of Alzheimer's disease. Effective treatment of chronic diabetes does not fully resolve cognitive problems.
Objective: To assess the cognitive decline associated with alloxan monohydrate-induced diabetes in Wistar rats.
Material and methods: This study involved 24 Wistar rats weighing between 150 and 300 g. They were divided into three groups: (1) normal rats, (2) untreated diabetic rats and (3) diabetic rats treated with D-erythrodihydrosphingosine. The rats were given glucose and food overnight to prevent hypoglycaemia. Behavioural experiments were carried out using object recognition and radial arm maze tests.
Results: The results showed a significant difference between the groups in terms of weight, with a significant decrease observed from day 7. Behavioural analysis revealed significant differences in the time spent exploring familiar and novel objects in the rats. The study also assessed the cognitive impact of diabetes by evaluating spatial learning in an eight-branch radial maze. The results showed that diabetes affects working memory and that SPK1 and 2 inhibitors do not improve it in diabetic rats.
Conclusion: Working memory is impaired and spatial learning is difficult. Nevertheless, our results would help to understand the link between cognitive decline and hyperglycaemia and highlight the importance of comprehensive management of diabetic patients with neurocognitive problems.