Effects of Long- and Short-term Consumption of Energy Drinks on Anxiety-like, Depression-like, and Cognitive Behavior in Adolescent Rats

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of long- and short-term energy drinks on anxiety-like, depressionlike, and cognitive behavior in adolescent rats. Methods: Adolescent rats (age six weeks) were randomly classified into a control group (CON), a long-term administration group (LT), and a short-term administration group (ST). The LT group was orally administered 1.5 mL/100 g (body weight) of energy drink twice daily for 14 days, the ST group was orally administered for one day, and the control group applied the same amount of normal saline. Later, an open-field test, a forced swim test, novel object recognition test, and an 8-arm radial maze test was conducted to assess the rats' anxiety, depression, and cognitive function. Results: There were different effects in the long- and short-term groups of energy drink administration. In the LT group, anxiety- and depressive-like behavior increased because of increased movement in the side corner and decrease of immobility time. Also, the time to explore novel objects decreased, and the number of correct responses was reduced, indicating a learning and memory function disorder. However, the ST group was not different from the control group. Conclusion: These results indicate that long-term consumption of energy drinks can increase anxiety-like, depression-like behavior, and this can lead to decrease in learning and memory functions. Thus, nurse and health care providers should understand the impact of energy drink consumption in adolescence to provide appropriate practices and education.