The effects of licorice root components on cognition
type: CreativeWork
description: A large body of research has shown that estrogens can modulate learning and memory. Importantly, the effects of estrogens on cognition vary based on several factors including dose, the type of estrogen used, the age of the animal, the length of exposure, the route of exposure, as well as the demands of the cognitive task. Botanical estrogens are non-steroidal plant compounds that can mimic estrogens in the body by binding to estrogen receptors and affecting transcriptional changes. Many botanical estrogens are widely available over the counter in dietary supplements, despite a dearth of research about their effects. This work investigated the efficacy of components of licorice root, one of the most common sources of botanical estrogens in dietary supplements, to alter performance on three different cognitive tasks: a prefrontal cortex-sensitive delayed spatial alternation (DSA) task, a hippocampus-sensitive metric change in object location (MCOL) task and a striatum-sensitive double object recognition (DOR) task. Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), licorice root extract (LRE), and whole licorice root powder (LRP) were assessed. ISL is a pure compound found in licorice root with known estrogenic activity. LRE and LRP are both complex mixtures containing ISL as well as other components. Working memory was assessed in the DSA study. Middle-aged female rats were ovariectomized (OVX) and exposed to ISL (0, 6, 12, or 24 mg) once per day through pellets. Exposure to ISL did not affect DSA performance at any of the three doses tested. Estrogens have been shown to impair performance on the DSA task in previous studies. Spatial object location memory was assessed in three separate studies using the MCOL task. Object recognition memory was assessed using the DOR task. In the MCOL and DOR studies, young-adult female rats were OVX and exposed to ISL, LRE or LRP continuously through the diet at concentrations of 0.075%, 0.5% and 5% respectively for three weeks. Estradiol groups were also in…
abstract: A large body of research has shown that estrogens can modulate learning and memory. Importantly, the effects of estrogens on cognition vary based on several factors including dose, the type of estrogen used, the age of the animal, the length of exposure, the route of exposure, as well as the demands of the cognitive task. Botanical estrogens are non-steroidal plant compounds that can mimic estrogens in the body by binding to estrogen receptors and affecting transcriptional changes. Many botanical estrogens are widely available over the counter in dietary supplements, despite a dearth of research about their effects. This work investigated the efficacy of components of licorice root, one of the most common sources of botanical estrogens in dietary supplements, to alter performance on three different cognitive tasks: a prefrontal cortex-sensitive delayed spatial alternation (DSA) task, a hippocampus-sensitive metric change in object location (MCOL) task and a striatum-sensitive double object recognition (DOR) task. Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), licorice root extract (LRE), and whole licorice root powder (LRP) were assessed. ISL is a pure compound found in licorice root with known estrogenic activity. LRE and LRP are both complex mixtures containing ISL as well as other components. Working memory was assessed in the DSA study. Middle-aged female rats were ovariectomized (OVX) and exposed to ISL (0, 6, 12, or 24 mg) once per day through pellets. Exposure to ISL did not affect DSA performance at any of the three doses tested. Estrogens have been shown to impair performance on the DSA task in previous studies. Spatial object location memory was assessed in three separate studies using the MCOL task. Object recognition memory was assessed using the DOR task. In the MCOL and DOR studies, young-adult female rats were OVX and exposed to ISL, LRE or LRP continuously through the diet at concentrations of 0.075%, 0.5% and 5% respectively for three weeks. Estradiol groups were also in…
author: Kundu, Payel
language: en
keywords: estrogen, phytoestrogens, rat, cognition, behavior, botanical estrogens
date published: 2018-09-04T20:27:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:38Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/100958