垃圾食品改变大脑回路
Junk Diet Rewires Rat Brains
垃圾食品改变大脑回路
High-calorie and exceedingly pleasurable foods appear to change rat brain rewards circuitry, causing the rodents to continue to seek such fare. Erika Beras reports
研究发现高卡路里的美食会改变老鼠大脑的奖赏回路，使这些啮齿动物不断去寻找这些“能量炸弹”。
撰文 埃里卡·贝拉斯（Erika Beras）
翻译 王宁
审校 李轩
We know junk food can change the way bodies are shaped. Now, a study finds that those irresistible sweet and salty concoctions may also change the way brains are wired—at least in rats.
众所周知，垃圾食品会使身材走样。如今，一项研究发现这类难以抵抗的美味佳肴可能会改变大脑“回路”，至少对老鼠确实如此。
Researchers divided rats into two groups—one labeled Cafeteria, the other called Chow. Both groups got a typical rat food diet, but the Cafeteria rats also got a bonus: meat pies, cakes and cookies.
研究人员将老鼠分为两组，一组标记为“自助餐厅”，另一组标记为“食物”。两组都用传统老鼠饲料喂养，但是“自助餐厅”小组有额外的福利——肉馅饼，蛋糕和曲奇饼。
Both rat groups gained weight. But the Cafeteria rats gained significantly more than the Chows did—nearly half a pound more, which is a big body burden for a rat. But more important, over two weeks time the Cafeteria rats seemed to care less and less about even seeking out a balanced diet. This new behavior endured even after the rats were returned to their more healthy fare. The study is in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. [Amy C. Reichelt, Margaret J. Morris and R. F. Westbrook, Cafeteria diet impairs expression of sensory-specific satiety and stimulus-outcome learning]
两组老鼠都增重了，但是“自助餐厅”组要比“食物”组更加发福，多出约半磅。对老鼠而言，这是一种巨大的身体负担。但事情远非如此，2周后“自助餐厅”组的老鼠对于寻找均衡饮食越发没有兴趣，甚至当它们恢复到健康饮食结构后，这种新行为还在持续。
The researchers think junk-food diets cause lasting changes in the rewards circuits part of the brain—which plays a big role in decision-making. So if you’re a regular cookie eater and the next time you mindlessly reach for a cookie you wonder why you can’t help yourself—well, it could be because you’re not in charge, your rewired brain is.
研究人员认为垃圾食品的摄食对大脑的奖赏回路造成了长期影响，而奖赏回路对于判定能力至关重要。因此如果你是一位曲奇爱好者，下次你在不经意地寻找曲奇饼时,你或者该想想是什么力量在暗暗驱使着你——或许不是你自己的意识，而是你大脑中的回路！
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京ICP备11000850号-1
京公网安备11010502039775号 信息网络传播视听节目许可证0111611号
国家科技基础条件平台