Food restriction affects Y-maze spatial recognition memory in developing mice

•We used a Y-maze task avoiding reward or punishment to test in developing mice.•The levels of chronic and acute food restrictions were systematically varied.•Severe chronic food restriction caused impairment on spatial recognition memory.•The impairment significantly correlated with slow weight growth.•Acute restriction diversely affected memory retention, positively or negatively. The ambiguous effects of food restriction (FR) on cognition in rodents have been mostly explored in the aged brain by a variety of paradigms, in which either rewards or punishments are involved. This study aims to examine the effects of chronic and acute FR with varying intensities on spatial recognition memory in developing mice. We have used a Y-maze task that is based on the innate tendency of rodents to explore novel environments. In chronic FR, mice had 70–30% chow of control for seven weeks. In acute FR, mice were food restricted for 12–48h before the tests. We found that chronic FR had no effect on the preference of mice for novelty in the Y-maze, but severe FR (50–30% of control) caused impairment on spatial recognition memory. The impairment significantly correlated with the slow weight growth induced by FR. Acute FR also did not affect the novelty preference of mice, but either improved or impaired the memory retention. These data suggest chronic FR impairs Y-maze spatial recognition memory in developing mice depending on FR intensity and individual tolerability of the FR. Moreover, acute FR exerts diverse effects on the memory, either positive or negative. Our findings have revealed new insights on the effects of FR on spatial recognition memory in developing animals.