Amnesia is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by forgetfulness or memory loss. It is basically caused due to brain damage incurred during diseased states, mental trauma or stress. Scopolamine is an alkaloidal drug which is used as an anti-cholinergic agent, but its ability to induce amnesia makes it a promising agent in the assessment of learning and identification of memory index in various experimental subjects. Nootropic agents are substances that enhance learning and possess the ability to boost the memory especially in memory deficit subjects. The present study was devised to evaluate the nootropic activity of the ethanolic extract of the fruit of Aegle marmelos using Scopolamine as the negative control. The animals were divided into different groups (n=6) i.e. normal control, negative control (Scopolamine), standard control (Piracetam). Aegle marmelos (200, 400 mg/kg p.o) and a combination of extract and scopolamine. The animals were treated for 10 days, following which the nootropic potential of the extract was evaluated using: Elevated Plus maze, Y-Maze, Hebb-William’s maze and step down latency. The prescribed parameters were recorded and the readings were tabulated to give the final results.

Keywords: Aegle marmelos, Scopolamine, Amnesia, Nootropic activity