Misaligned feeding impairs memories.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Animal research evaluating molecular and behavioral outcomes in mice (CEBM Level 5)
PubMed 26652002 · doi:10.7554/eLife.09460
What was done
Researchers scheduled food access exclusively during the sleep phase in mice to examine the impact of circadian misalignment on the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) master clock, hippocampal molecular clock synchronization, hippocampal long-term potentiation, total CREB expression, and hippocampal-dependent learning and memory.
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data. Qualitatively, feeding during sleep hours left the SCN clock unaltered but synchronized the hippocampal clock to meal timing, leading to reduced hippocampal long-term potentiation, decreased total CREB expression, and deficits in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory.
Why it matters
The paper demonstrates in a mouse model that mistimed food intake uncouples peripheral hippocampal clocks from central circadian regulation, identifying a physiological mechanism connecting circadian misalignment to cognitive impairment.
Limits
The study was conducted entirely in mice, limiting direct translation to humans. The abstract reports no sample sizes, effect sizes, statistical metrics, duration of the intervention, or specific memory assay details.
Cited by
- supports Feeding mice during their normal rest period impairs hippocampal long-term potentiation and memory function.