Neonatal administration of goat whey modulates memory and cortical spreading depression in rats previously suckled under different litter sizes: Possible role of sialic acid

Objectives: Goat whey, a usually discarded byproduct from goat cheese manufacturing, is a good source of sialic acid (SA), an oligosaccharide that is involved in processes such as memory and brain excitability. Here, we investigated in rats the effect of dried goat whey (DGW) on memory and the brain excitability-dependent phenomenon known as cortical spreading depression (CSD). We also provide evidence for the involvement of SA in this effect. In addition, we tested animals under unfavorable suckling conditions to evaluate whether nutritional deficiency would modulate DGW action.Methods: Wistar rats were suckled in litters with 9 and 15 pups (groups L9 and L15, respectively). From postnatal (P) days 7–14, the animals received per gavage 17.45 g of DGW/kg/day, or SA (20 mg/kg/day or 100 mg/kg/day). At P28-30, we tested the animals’ memory in the object recognition paradigm. At P35-45 we recorded CSD and analyze its velocity of propagation, amplitude, and duration.Results: In the object recognition test, th...