Walnut protein hydrolysates ameliorate alcohol-induced cognitive impairment (AICI) by alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain and improving hippocampal synaptic plasticity in Sprague–Dawley rats

< 0.05) indicated the rescue of damaged hippocampal synaptic plasticity. In addition, after WPH administration, disorders of ERK and caspase-3 signal pathways, abnormality in the release of the neurotransmitters acetylcholine (ACh) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and histopathological impairment in the hippocampus of AICI rats were ameliorated in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, the amelioration of AICI by WPH might result from the alleviation of oxidative stress and inflammation in brain tissue and the improvement of hippocampal synaptic plasticity.