Colostrinin, a polypeptide isolated from early milk, facilitates learning and memory in rats

Initial observations in humans indicated that colostrinin, a complex of pol ypeptides derived from the colostrum of sheep, facilitates cognitive functi oning in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Its effect on learning and memo ry in more controlled settings as well as the specificity of these effects were, however, unknown. The present experiments evaluated the effects of co lostrinin on spatial learning (Morris water maze) and incidental memory (ha bituation test) in male Wistar rats of two age groups. Colostrinin, at a do se of 4 mu g/rat IF, facilitated acquisition of spatial learning of 13- (ag ed) but not 3-month-old (young) rats. At the same dose, it improved inciden tal learning in aged rats, while the dose of 20 mu g/rat attenuated it. Col ostrinin did not change locomotor activity of rats. Taken together, the pre sent findings indicate that colostrinin may have some beneficial effects on cognitive functioning, particularly in aged subjects. Given the fact that colostrum is the first nutritive agent of neonates, it might be speculated that its peptides may facilitate the early postnatal development of the cer ebral neurons and their plasticity. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.