6th Annual Judith Ramaley Celebration of Research and Creative Scholarship
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Poster #90 Long-Term Exposure to Aspartame: Effects in the Tail Suspension Task
D. J. Riemer
Faculty Mentor: John M. Holden
Reports that the artificial sweetener aspartame (a component of Nutrasweet and other products) has been linked to depression through effects on serotonin bioavailability have been controversial for a number of years. In this study we looked at the effect of long-term exposure to oral aspartame (0.33% in drinking water) on behavior in the tail suspension test, a commonly employed mouse model of human depression. Subjects (female c57BL/6 mice, approximately 3 months old) were given free access to aspartame solution (0.33% in tap water) or tap water alone for 3 weeks time, then subjected to the tail suspension test. It was found, however, that exposure led to decreased immobility in the test (though the decrease was not statistically significant), the opposite of what would be expected should aspartame have a depressive effect. This study did not find evidence suggesting oral aspartame in the concentrations typically employed in soda leads to depressive effects. |
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