06 May,2009 05:11 PM IST | | PTI
Studying for exams? Remember to load yourself with fatty food before you attempt the test, for a new study says that it could boost your results.
An international team has found that indulging in a fatty meal after studying for exam could help in remembering the facts as fat produces a hormone which aids the brain in cementing short-term memories into long-term ones.
Researchers, led by Daniele Piomelli of California University, have based their findings on an analysis of an experiment on rodents, the 'New Scientist' reported.
The team trained rats to complete two tasks u2014 avoid an area that gave them a shock, and find a platform in a pool of water. Immediately after the training, they injected some of the rats with oleoylethanolamide u2014 a chemical produced in the small intestine of vertebrates which creates a sense of fullness after eating fat.
When the rats were retested one or two days later, the ones that received OEA performed better, suggesting they had stronger memories of their training.
More experiments with the rats showed OEA activates the same areas of the brain that mediate the formation of emotionally charged memories in humans, which are more vivid than typical memories.
"The findings make sense from an evolutionary perspective. When foraging animals find a fatty meal, they do well to remember exactly where and how they found it. Since humans also produce OEA, there is a good chance that it boosts our memory too.
"OEA is only produced after eating a healthy unsaturated fat called oleic acid, so a cheeseburger after a night of cramming may not work u2014 try food with olive oil or soybean oil," Piomelli said.
The findings of the study have been published in the 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' journal.
