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Cognitive and behavioural effects of sugar consumption in rodents. A review
This 2014 review presents evidence from rodent-model studies demonstrating the effects of sugars on cognitive measures such as learning, memory, reward processing, in addition to psychological aspects including anxiety and mood. Kendig (2014) explains that sugar clearly induces cognitive dysfunction, with deficits most consistently observed on tasks measuring spatial learning and memory, while younger animals appear to be especially sensitive to sugar’s impact on reward processing (although results vary according to what reward-related behaviour is assessed). Although the implications are that sugar may not have long-term effects on mood and anxiety, cognitive impairments have been found when intake approximates levels of sugar consumption in people and without changes to weight gain. The narrator warns us about the possible impact of sugar on cognition in humans, and discusses the potential underlying mechanisms, parallels between sugar consumption and addictive behaviors, as well as directions for future research. [NPID: sugar, processed food, learning, memory, reward processing, anxiety, mood, spatial learning, cognition, addiction]
Year: 2014
