Long-term changes in recognition memory after juvenile or adult exposure to stevia

We previously showed that unlimited access to sugar-sweetened beverages during youth induces long-lasting recognition memory deficits. Here, we examined whether stevia consumption during the juvenile period or adulthood produces similar effects. Male Sprague–Dawley rats, starting at postnatal day (PD) 25 or PD75, received ad libitum access to water (control), 10% sucrose (SUC), or a 4% aqueous Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni decoction for 25 days, followed by 25 days of water only. Recognition memory was then assessed using the novel object recognition test at 2 h (T2), 24 h (T3), and 7 days (T4). Juvenile sucrose-exposed rats failed to discriminate between familiar and novel objects at all retention intervals, confirming persistent memory impairment. In contrast, stevia effects depended on age of exposure and retention interval: adult-exposed rats showed impaired short-term memory (T2, p=0.0003), whereas juvenile-exposed rats showed impaired long-term memory (T3, p=0.0002). Neither stevia-exposed group showed deficits in consolidated memory (T4). These findings indicate that unlimited stevia consumption can produce age- and retention interval-dependent effects on recognition memory that differ from those induced by sucrose.