INTRODUCTION: Iron, a very important chemical element in the body of mammals, is the most abundant metal in the brain. It participates in many chemical reactions taking place in the central nervous system acting as a cofactor in key enzymatic reactions involved in neurotransmitter synthesis and degradation, dendritic arborization, and myelination Some available data indicated that concentration of iron in the brain progressively increases during the aging process in subjects, and it is selectively accumulates in the brains of patients suffering from neurodegenerative disorders. Iron-induced oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease, and others.

AIM(S): The aim of our study was to assess the influence of iron administered orally (30 mg/kg) to rats in the neonatal period (p12-p14) on the behavioral and biochemical parameters in adult rat.

METHOD(S): The tests were performance in adult rats in the behavioral tests; open field, social interaction tests, and recognition memory, and also in biochemical test, the BDNF mRNA expression in the cortex and hippocampus.

RESULTS: Iron administered to rats in the neonatal period induced long-term deficits in behavioral tests in adult rats. It reduced the exploratory activity in the open field test. In the social interaction test, it induced deficits in the parameters studied, and decreased memory retention. Moreover, it decreased the expression of BDNF mRNA only in the hippocampus.

CONCLUSIONS: The above data suggest the decreased BDNF mRNA expression by iron given in the neonatal period may play a role in iron-induced memory impairment in adult rats.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT: This study was financially supported by statutory funds of the Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland.