EFFECTS OF DIETARY VEGETABLE-OILS ON BEHAVIOR AND DRUG RESPONSES IN MICE

Previously, we noted significant differences in the behavioral pattern s of mice fed safflower oil with a very low alpha-linolenate/linoleate ratio and perilla oil with a high alpha-linolenate/linoleate ratio fr om mothers to offsprings. In this report, we compared the behavior and drug responses in mice fed diets containing six different vegetable o ils-corn, rapeseed, soybean, safflower, perilla and a mixture of peril la and safflower oils- for a relatively short period: 8 months after w eaning. Soybean oil is a component of most conventional diets and was used as a control. The alpha-linolenate/linoleate ratios of the oils a ppeared to affect the locomotor activities in a wheel cage: the activi ty decreased in the order of safflower, the mixture (1:1) and the peri lla oil groups. However, the rapeseed oil group exhibited much higher locomotor activity than that expected from the alpha-linolenate/linole ate ratio. Additionally, the rapeseed oil group exhibited unusual beha vior patterns, including higher ambulation and rearing activities, fas ter acquisition of the water maze task and slower habituation behavior as compared with the control group. Susceptibility to pentobarbital a nesthesia tended to be higher in the rapeseed oil group. The differenc es in the alpha-linolenate/linoleate ratios of these oils alone do not account for the observed differences in the behavioral patterns among the six dietary groups. Although we cannot exclude the possibility th at the observed behavioral anomaly is due to the unique fatty acid com position of rapeseed oil, we speculate that a factor(s) other than fat ty acids in rapeseed oil affected nervous system functions.