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March 3, 2006|Volume 34, Number 21|Two-Week Issue


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Study suggests people may learn
best on an empty stomach

Researchers at the School of Medicine have found evidence that a hormone produced in the stomach directly stimulates the higher brain functions of spatial learning and memory development -- further suggesting that people may learn best on an empty stomach.

The study showed that the hormone ghrelin, which is produced in the stomach and was previously associated with growth hormone release and appetite, has a direct, rapid and powerful influence on the hippocampus, a higher brain region critical for learning and memory.

The team of investigators was led by Tamas L. Horvath, chair of the Section of Comparative Medicine at the School of Medicine and associate professor in the Departments of Comparative Medicine, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, and Neurobiology. The study was published in the Feb. 19 online issue of Nature Neuroscience by investigators at Yale and other institutes.

The researchers first observed that peripheral ghrelin can enter the hippocampus and bind to local neurons promoting alterations in connections between nerve cells in mice and rats. Further study of behavior in the animals showed that these changes in brain circuitry are linked to enhanced learning and memory performance.

Because ghrelin is highest in the circulation during the day and when the stomach is empty, these results also indicate that learning may be most effective before meal-time.

"Based on our observations in animal models, a practical recommendation could be that children may benefit from not overeating at breakfast in order to make the most out of their morning hours at school," says Horvath. "The current obesity epidemic among American school children, which to some degree has been attributed to bad eating habits in the school environment, has been paralleled by a decline of learning performance. It is however too early to speculate if hormonal links between eating and learning are involved in that phenomenon."

Horvath notes that high ghrelin levels or administration of ghrelin-like drugs could also protect against certain forms of dementia, because aging and obesity are associated with a decline in ghrelin levels and an increased incidence of conditions of memory loss like Alzheimer's disease.

Other authors on the study were first author Sabrina Diano, Susan A. Farr, Stephen C. Benoit, Ewan C. McNay, Ivaldo da Silva, Balazs Horvath, F. Spencer Gaskin, Naoko Nonaka, Laura B. Jaeger, William A. Banks, John E. Morley, Shirly Pinto, Robert S. Sherwin, Lin Xu, Kelvin A. Yamada, Mark W. Sleeman and Matthias H. Tschop. The study was supported by several grants from the National Institutes of Health and by a VA Merit Review Grant.

-- By Karen Peart


T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Noted critic and artist Robert Storr named next dean of School of Art

Two faculty receive prestigious prizes

Brothers' gift to renovate site of their former athletic glory

Yale licenses ovarian cancer test technology to LabCorp

Gallery acquires rare painting by Yale-educated artist

Yale donates important set of books to the British Parliament

ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS

William Clyde DeVane Medals are awarded to two scientists

Ignorance of world news could imperil the nation, says journalist

Event explored 'Youth and the Future of U.S.-Islamic Relations'

Doll exhibition marks Japanese celebration of 'Girls Day'

Museum hosting talk on Connecticut day trips, annual 'Fiesta Latina'

Chinese Christian art is featured in Institute of Sacred Music exhibit

Study suggests people may learn best on an empty stomach

VaxInnate officials to speak in next event of seminar serie

Volunteers sought for Ob/Gyn's Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study

Competition aims to educate campuses nationwide about recycling

Yale Books in Brief


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