Abstract
Sometimes food makes you feel sick long after you eat it. But how does your brain know which food caused the problem? We wanted to find out.
We studied this question in mice. First, we gave them a sweet drink with a flavor that was either new or familiar. Then, after a short delay, we caused mild sickness and looked at their brains.
The amygdala, a brain area for memory, “replayed” the flavor signal when the stomach sent the sickness signal. This replay made the memory stronger. Mice then avoided the new flavor that made them sick, but not the familiar flavor that hadn’t made them sick in the past. This shows how the brain bridges the gap between eating and later feeling sick.
The post How does your brain know which food made you sick? appeared first on Science Journal for Kids and Teens.
