Dietary Glycemic Index Differentially Modulates Cognitive and Social Behaviors in Adult WAG/Rij Rats

Aim: Absence epilepsy is frequently accompanied by cognitive and social comorbidities, which may be influenced by environmental and metabolic factors. This study examined whether diets differing in glycemic index (GI) modulate cognitive and social behaviors in adult WAG/Rij rats, a well-established genetic model of absence epilepsy.Methods: Male WAG/Rij rats (n = 30) were randomly assigned to three groups: control diet, low glycemic index (LGI) diet, and high glycemic index (HGI) diet. Cognitive performance and exploratory behavior were assessed using the novel object recognition (NOR) test. Social interaction and social recognition memory were evaluated using the three-chamber paradigm.Results: The LGI group showed improved novel object recognition compared to controls (p < 0.05), whereas the HGI group exhibited reduced performance compared to both control (p < 0.05) and LGI groups (p < 0.001). Exploratory behavior (rearing) was higher in the LGI group than in controls (p = 0.0062), with no differences between other groups. Self-grooming and baseline social preference did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). However, social discrimination was impaired in the HGI group compared to control (p = 0.0089) and LGI groups (p = 0.0115), with no difference between control and LGI groups.Conclusions: An LGI diet enhances exploratory activity and recognition memory, whereas an HGI diet selectively impairs object recognition and social discrimination without affecting baseline sociability. These findings suggest that dietary GI differentially modulates cognitive and social behaviors in WAG/Rij rats.