Slow Learners? Let me explain. When you think of animals that move slowly, what do you think of? The snail, right?
Well, study just published in The Journal of Experimental Biology found that the strength and length of snail memories were improved after consumption of the epicatechin flavonoid found in chocolate.
Wait, so, chocolate for slugs? Slugs with memory problems? How could this possibly be relevant? It turns out that it is.
There is a large body of evidence showing that these healthy flavonoid elements of cocoa (not nasty, sugary, milky, caramel-y, quote, chocolate candies) have awesome cognitive benefits (see this page from PubMed).
So what happened with the slugs?
Slow Learners? Let me explain. When you think of animals that move slowly, what do you think of? The snail, right?
Well, study just published in The Journal of Experimental Biology found that the strength and length of snail memories were improved after consumption of the epicatechin flavonoid found in chocolate.
Wait, so, chocolate for slugs? Slugs with memory problems? How could this possibly be relevant? It turns out that it is.
There is a large body of evidence showing that these healthy flavonoid elements of cocoa (not nasty, sugary, milky, caramel-y, quote, chocolate candies) have awesome cognitive benefits (see this page from PubMed).
So what happened with the slugs?
The snails were trained on a dirt simple task — to keep their breathing holes closed when tapped. This is apparently a standard learning model, where researchers studying learning/memory can show that slimy snails can actually learn this task, and remember it for a period of time.
Bottom line? These slow learners learned faster, and kept the learning longer when they were exposed to epicatechin, which is found in chocolate, wine, and tea.
Again, why is this relevant? Because a very simple animal like a snail can reveal whether there is learning at the most basic, most elemental level in a biological system. We have great evidence linking chocolate with improved cognitive performance in humans. The work on lower animals can reveal the more primary mechanisms behind it.
Again, why is this relevant? Because a very simple animal like a snail can reveal whether there is learning at the most basic, most elemental level in a biological system. We have great evidence linking chocolate with improved cognitive performance in humans. The work on lower animals can reveal the more primary mechanisms behind it.
Source:
J. Exp. Biol. 215, 3566-3576. (2012)
‘A flavonol present in cocoa [(–)epicatechin] enhances snail memory’
Authors: Fruson, L., Dalesman, S. and Lukowiak, K.
J. Exp. Biol. 215, 3566-3576. (2012)
‘A flavonol present in cocoa [(–)epicatechin] enhances snail memory’
Authors: Fruson, L., Dalesman, S. and Lukowiak, K.
Cocoa flavanols give snail brains a boost
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