READING TEXT 16

Unraveling the mysteries of memory

1. Memory is a very popular area of research today, particularly in
regard to the
prevention or delay of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and other
memory loss afflictions. Two recent studies have investigated the
connections between certain foods and memory.
2. The first study, led by Dr. Henriette van Praag at the Salk
Institute in California and published in the Journal of Neuroscience,
focuses on a chemical found in natural foods, including chocolate,
which may improve memory. The chemical is epicatechin, and it
has been shown to improve the memories of mice. Mice that were
fed a diet supplemented with epicatechin (and allowed to exercise)
performed best in a memory test that involved remembering the
location of a hidden platform. However, whether this will also work
with humans is not yet known. It is debatable whether the memory
of a mouse functions in a similar way to that of a human, so the
team is now hoping to study the effects of the
chemical on humans.

3. The second study, conducted by a team at the University of

California, shows that oleic acids, which come from fats in food, are
converted in the gut into memory-enhancing agents. The study used
rats, and it showed that using the drug in two different tests (running
through a maze and avoiding an unpleasant experience) enhanced
the rats’ memory retention. The researchers, Dr. Daniele Piomelli
and his team, believe that there is a possible biological reason for
the connection between fats and memory, and that it may apply to
humans for the same reason. It may sound far-fetched to claim that
the gut of a rat is like a GPS system for finding food, but the results
suggest that remembering where a fatty meal was found would be
very important for survival in mammals.
4. Although the studies attribute memory improvements to two
completely different agents, there is an interesting connection
between them, in that acting on the findings of either one may
encourage people to eat too much fattening food—in the first case,
chocolate, and in the second, other forms of fat. A spokesperson for
the British Nutrition Foundation warned that the
health risks of eating too much chocolate would outweigh any
benefits to your memory from a potentially negligible amount of
epicatechin. The chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research
Trust, although positive about the oleic acid study, also felt the
need to remind people that a healthy, balanced diet is still the best
way to maintain brain function in old age.

5. The human memory used to be thought of as being the equivalent

of a supercomputer in the head, with a definite location—like a
building in a city. Now, however, memory is thought of as more of
a complex construction linking many of the “buildings.” It doesn’t
exist as a thing; it is an elusive, invisible web of connections.
Although these and other studies are advancing our understanding
of memory, it is clear that the precise ways in which memory
works are not yet fully understood. There is much work still to be
done before we can find effective ways to treat memory-loss
afflictions.
Decide if the statements below are True, False or Not Given.

1. The first study looks at the effects of a chemical found in

natural foods. 2.Epicatechin has been shown to improve the
memory of humans. 3.Most scientists think mice have a very
poor memory.
4.The researchers from the first study want to do a follow-up
study on humans.
5.Oleic acids originate from the human body.
6.Researchers used two types of experiment to find the effect of
the oleic acids.
7. The two studies are connected by the effect their findings may
have on people.
8.The effects that epicatechin has on the body are very powerful.
9.The Research Trust provides its own diet book for a healthy,
balanced diet.
10. The true function of memory is now completely understood.