Monti Jim M, Baym Carol L, Cohen Neal J
Psychology Department Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.
Adv Nutr. 2014 May 14;5(3):337S-43S. doi: 10.3945/an.113.005397. Print 2014 May.
In this review we provide evidence linking relational memory to the hippocampus, as well as examples of sensitive relational memory tasks that may help characterize the subtle effects of nutrition on learning and memory. Research into dietary effects on cognition is in its nascent stages, and many studies have cast a wide net with respect to areas of cognition to investigate. However, it may be that nutrition will have a disproportionate effect on particular cognitive domains. Thus, researchers interested in nutrition-cognition interactions may wish to apply a more targeted approach when selecting cognitive domains. We suggest that hippocampus-based relational memory may be extraordinarily sensitive to the effects of nutrition. The hippocampus shows unique plastic capabilities, making its structure and function responsive to an array of lifestyle factors and environmental conditions, including dietary intake. A major function of the hippocampus is relational memory, defined as learning and memory for the constituent elements and facts that comprise events. Here we identify several sensitive tests of relational memory that may be used to examine what may be subtle effects of nutrition on hippocampus and memory. We then turn to the literature on aerobic exercise and cognition to provide examples of translational research programs that have successfully applied this targeted approach centering on the hippocampus and sensitive relational memory tools. Finally, we discuss selected findings from animal and human research on nutrition and the hippocampus and advocate for the role of relational memory tasks in future research.
在本综述中，我们提供了将关系记忆与海马体联系起来的证据，以及一些敏感的关系记忆任务示例，这些示例可能有助于刻画营养对学习和记忆的微妙影响。关于饮食对认知影响的研究尚处于起步阶段，许多研究在认知领域的调查范围很广。然而，营养可能对特定认知领域有不成比例的影响。因此，对营养与认知相互作用感兴趣的研究人员在选择认知领域时可能希望采用更具针对性的方法。我们认为基于海马体的关系记忆可能对营养的影响格外敏感。海马体具有独特的可塑性，其结构和功能会对一系列生活方式因素和环境条件（包括饮食摄入）做出反应。海马体的一项主要功能是关系记忆，即对构成事件的组成元素和事实的学习与记忆。在此，我们确定了几种关系记忆的敏感测试方法，可用于研究营养对海马体和记忆可能产生的微妙影响。然后，我们转向有氧运动与认知的文献，以提供一些转化研究项目的示例，这些项目成功应用了以海马体和敏感关系记忆工具为中心的这种针对性方法。最后，我们讨论了动物和人类关于营养与海马体研究的部分发现，并倡导关系记忆任务在未来研究中的作用。
