Abstract:
Glucose stored in the brain as the branched polysaccharide glycogen has been reported to play a
role in associative learning. The effect of brain glycogen levels on sensory learning in mus
musculus is rarely studied and, as a model species for human studies, has implications for
learning in people, especially those experiencing low glucose availability to the brain. Wild-type
mice and mice without brain glycogen were allowed to investigate the scent of a fruit juice for 5
minutes after a habituation period. Twenty-four hours later, the mice were allowed to investigate
the scent of the same juice or a novel juice. The amount of time the mouse spent “exploring” the
scent was measured on both days, and the times were compared between genotypes with the
hypothesis that wild type mice would spend less time than knockout mice on a familiar scent 24
hours later. However, analysis of this data shows similar results between the two genotypes,
implying that brain glycogen may not have a significant impact on sensory learning. When
compiled with other behavioral studies with brain glycogen variables, this study improves
understanding of the importance of mammalian brain glycogen levels for behavioral learning.
