Pond snails can learn from the flavonoids in dark chocolate, which work directly on memory neurons, according to new Canadian research.
Three University of Calgary scientists investigated how diet can affect the memory, specifically the flavonoid epicatechin (epi), found in cocoa, green tea, and red wine.
They studied epi’s effects on learning in the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis, which can be trained to keep its pneumostome or breathing tube closed when placed in deoxygenated water.
Pond snails breathe through their skin, but use their pneumostome to obtain oxygen above the surface when levels in the water drop. By tapping the tube when it opens, a snail can be trained to keep it closed in deoxygenated water.
The team tested the effect of epi on snails’ memories using a half-hour training session in deoxygenated water that normally produces intermediate-term memories, which only last up to three hours. However, with the epi conditioning, the snails remembered to keep their pneumostomes closed at least 24 hours later.
Epi also strengthened the snails’ memories. Memories can be replaced using another memory, such as leaving the breathing tube open, but in epi-trained snails, the memory to shut their tubes could not be extinguished.
Interestingly, the researchers found that epi directly affects memory neurons rather than a sensory organ for memory storage. They now plan to study how epi affects these neurons, and believe dark chocolate could also improve human cognitive abilities.
The results will be published in the Journal of Experimental Biology on Oct. 15, and can be accessed online here.
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