William Atkins
Sunday, 17 May 2009 00:08
Science -
Biology
Page 2 of 3
The tests on the rats were designed to see if oleoylethanolamide (OEA), a chemical produced in the small intestines that tells the body that the stomach is full after eating fatty foods, has a role in intelligence and memory.
It's actually an
"endogenous peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) agonist" that is a naturally-occurrring lipid derivator that regulates feeding and body weight in vertebrate animals.
They state,
“Oleoylethanolamide (OEA) is an endogenous lipid mediator that is released when dietary fat enters the small intestine. OEA mediates fat-induced satiety by engaging type-α peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR-α) in the gut and recruiting local afferents of the vagus nerve.” [Abstract]
The rats were first tested without OEA injected into their bodies. They were later tested, one or two days later, with some rats receiving injections of OEA, while others were not injected with the hormone.
The researchers found the rats injected with OEA performed better in the tests than the rats not given the chemical OEA.
Thus,
“Here we show that post-training administration of OEA in rats improves retention in the inhibitory avoidance and Morris water maze tasks. These effects are blocked by infusions of lidocaine into the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) and by propranolol infused into the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA).” [Abstract]
They suggest that the OEA improved their memories by affecting parts of the brain that involve “emotionally charged” memory. [New Scientist]
Page three concludes.
