Ferulic acid (FA), called also hydroxycinnamic acid, is a polyphenol compound found in many foods such as coffee, apples, rice, oats and wheat. It acts as an antioxidant but its other activities in vivo have not been well studied as a whole. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of FA on exploratory behavior and locomotor activity in male Wistar rats. FA was administrated orally (20 mg/kg) to different groups of rats for 7, 14, 21 and 30 days. These groups were compared respectively with saline-treated controls. At the end of each experimental period, the changes in exploratory behavior and locomotor activity were recorded in an Opto Varimex apparatus (Columbus Instruments, USA). The number of horizontal and vertical movements recorded every minute for the first 5 min served as a measure of exploratory activity and habituation to the new environment. The total number of movements during the first 5 min and during the whole 10-min period of observation was used as a measure of locomotor activity. It was found that FA at all doses for all treatment periods did not significantly affect exploratory behavior and locomotor activity of rats, when compared with the saline-treated controls. At all testing periods, FA did not disturb habituation. As habituation is considered an elementary form of learning, the present study suggested that FA did not disturb the memory and learning processes in rats.
