Learning and Memory Enhancing Activity of Cowpea Diet Ingestion in the Morris Water Maze Task

Abstract

Common bean (Vigna unguiculata) is a dicotyledon and belongs to the pea family [1]. Beans are available as the dry mature seeds or the green immature seeds which are wrapped in pods [2]. Both types are edible. There are many varieties of dry bean classes depending on the color, shape and size. Some of the commonly consumed varieties are navy, black, kidney and pinto beans. Bean are used as staple food in Nigeria and globally [3] and are a superb source of protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins and many phenolic compounds [4]. Bean is a very nutritious food [5,6] and has been reported to exhibit that beans have ant carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic [7]. Anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, hypoglycemic, depurative, cardio-protective and antioxidant effects [8].