Rest after a full meal is associated with long-term memory formation

According to Medical Express, scientific studies have demonstrated that food comas and long-term memory formation are related.

Scientists consider this mechanism to be an evolutionary trait characteristic of most species. Thomas Carew, a professor at the Center for Neuroscience at New York University and lead author of the study, explains that the feeling of fullness after a hearty meal comes to anyone on holidays. In fact, most animals tend to slow down and take a break after consuming large amounts of calories, suggesting that this reaction has a biological function.

The feeling of resting after a full meal is an important part of memory formation - (Image: Public Domain)

Scientists have studied this phenomenon using the example of the sea ​​slug, Aplysia californiaica . Aplysia is a model organism suitable for this type of research because its neurons are 10 to 50 times larger than higher organisms, such as vertebrates and it has a cellular network. The nerve is relatively small, easily allowing the connection between nerve and other activity.

In humans, eating leads to the release of insulin, which does not affect the brain. However, there is an insulin-like growth factor II (insulin-like growth factor II) that is important for brain activity, especially the formation of long-term memories.

In humans, food intake promotes the release of the hormone insulin, causing cells in the body to absorb nutrients from the blood and turn them into fat for long-term storage.

While insulin is thought to have little effect on the brain, a related hormone, insulin-like growth factor II, has been shown to be important for brain function. including the formation of long-term memory.

As it turns out, insulin-like molecules, in the human body perform at least two distinct functions - metabolism, typically insulin, controlling nutrition and energy balance, and the second function, the nerve function, focuses on insulin-like growth factor II , which controls memory formation.

Unlike humans, in slugs, only a single system performs both metabolic and neurological functions. The scientists also discovered that insulin-like molecules (insulin-like molecules) produced in the nervous system both enhanced connections between nerve cells, creating a foundation for long-term memory, while promoting Pushing up the absorption of nutrients in the tissues of the slug.

The researchers concluded that while the feeling of resting after a full meal is a trace of human evolution, it is still an important part of memory formation and in some animals, including humans, sleep is needed to properly store the long-term memories acquired during awakening.