Effects of the active constituent of Crocus sativus L. crocin on recognition and spatial rats' memory

Crocus Sativus L. is a plant cultivated in various parts of the world. Its involvement in learning and memory processes has been proposed. The present study was designed to investigate in the rat the effects of the active constituent of Crocus Sativus L., crocin on recognition and spatial memory. For this aim, the object recognition task which evaluates non spatial working memory and a novel version of the radial water maze which assesses spatial reference and spatial working memory were chosen. In the first study, post-training administration of crocin (15 and 30 mg/kg) counteracted extinction of recognition memory in the normal rat, suggesting that crocin modulates storage and/or retrieval of information. In a subsequent study, pre-training treatment with crocin (30 mg/kg and to some extent also 15 mg/kg) attenuated the scopolamine (0.2 mg/kg)-induced performance deficits in a new paradigm assessing spatial reference and spatial working memory in rodents. The present results support and extend the enhancing effects of crocin on memory and demonstrate also its implication in the mechanisms underlying recognition and spatial memory. ©ΦApmakon-Tuttoς