Robin Kanarek | Tufts University (original) (raw)

Papers by Robin Kanarek

The FASEB Journal, Apr 1, 2012

Nutrition and behavior: a multidisciplinary approach, 2006

This chapter presents a brief history of coffee, tea and chocolate; discusses the sources of caff... more This chapter presents a brief history of coffee, tea and chocolate; discusses the sources of caffeine; presents trends in coffee, tea and chocolate consumption; discusses the metabolism and neurophysiological effects of methylxanthines and caffeine; and examines the occurrence of caffeine intoxication.

Nutritional Neuroscience, Apr 1, 2004

Abstract Both nicotine and sucrose can enhance performance on cognitive tasks. However, little is... more Abstract Both nicotine and sucrose can enhance performance on cognitive tasks. However, little is known about whether nicotine and sucrose could act jointly to augment mental performance. To investigate if there is an interaction between nicotine and sucrose on cognitive behavior, performance on a continuous performance task (CPT) and a spatial memory task was examined in 14 healthy smokers after they had drunk 8 oz of either a sucrose- or aspartame-containing beverage, and then chewed a piece of gum containing either 2 mg nicotine or no nicotine. To assess changes in mood as a function of nicotine and sucrose intake, the profile of mood states (POMS) test was administered three times during each test session. Participants made significantly more correct responses and significantly fewer incorrect responses on the CPT when they received nicotine than when they received the placebo gum. Closer analysis of the data revealed that there was an interaction between sucrose consumption and nicotine intake. Nicotine increased hits and decreased misses when participants were given the sucrose-containing beverage, but not when they were given the aspartame-containing beverage. Neither nicotine nor sucrose affected spatial memory or mood across experimental sessions. However, when data were analyzed for just the first session, participants who drank the sucrose-containing beverage performed significantly better on the spatial memory task than those who drank the aspartame-containing beverage. No gender differences in the effects of nicotine or sucrose on cognitive performance were detected. The results provide support that both nicotine and sucrose have positive effects on cognitive behavior, and that under some conditions the two variables have additive effects on performance.

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 1978

Acetylmethadol was orally administered via a sucrose solution to rats in their drinking water for... more Acetylmethadol was orally administered via a sucrose solution to rats in their drinking water for 24 days. A .control group received only sucrose. Body weight and fluid consumption were monitored daily. The behavioral effects during chronic drug administration and during eight days of withdrawal were studied using behavior controlled by a fixed-interval schedule of food reinforcement. Body weights of treated animals remained stable during drug administration but decreased by approximately 25% during withdrawal. There were no significant differences in volume of fluid consumed by the two groups. Response rate and number of reinforcements were decreased during drug administration. During withdrawal, response rates were greater than pre-drug control rates. levo-alpha-Acetylmethadol Fixed-interval Oral administration Withdrawal

Appetite, 1990

The effects of food snacks consumed in the late afternoon on cognitive performance in college-age... more The effects of food snacks consumed in the late afternoon on cognitive performance in college-aged men were investigated in two experiments. The effects of the snacks were tested in the same subjects after they either consumed or skipped lunch. In the first experiment, the calorie-rich snack was a confectionery product, while in the second experiment, the snack was fruit-flavored yogurt. In both experiments, performance on cognitive tasks following consumption of the calorie-rich snack was compared to performance following consumption of a very low calorie snack (lemon-lime flavored diet soda without caffeine). Four cognitive tasks were employed: digit span recall (forward and backward), arithmetic reasoning, reading, and attention. In both experiments, subjects recalled significantly more digits in the backward digit span test and responded significantly faster in the attention task when they had consumed the calorific snack than when they had consumed the diet soft drink. Additionally, in Experiment 2, subjects solved significantly more arithmetic problems and solved these problems in significantly less time after eating a fruit-flavored yogurt than after consuming the diet soft drink. Results of these experiments suggest that a late afternoon energy-containing snack can have positive effects on cognitive performance on tasks that require sustained attention.

Practical Implications, 2011

Society for Neuroscience 509:6. Jurdak, N., A. Lichtenstein, and R. B. Kanarek. 2008. Diet-induce... more Society for Neuroscience 509:6. Jurdak, N., A. Lichtenstein, and R. B. Kanarek. 2008. Diet-induced obesity impairs spatial learning in young male rats. Nutr Neurosci 11:1–6. Kanarek, R. B., and E. Hirsch. 1977. Dietary-induced overeating in experimental animals. Fed

Physiology & Behavior, 2012

Obesity is a major public health concern in the United States. Over the last several decades, the... more Obesity is a major public health concern in the United States. Over the last several decades, the prevalence of obesity among both adults and children has grown at an alarming rate and is now reaching epidemic proportions. The increase in obesity has been associated with rises in a host of other chronic conditions including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. While the causes of obesity are multifaceted, there is growing evidence that television viewing is a major contributor. Results of numerous studies indicate a direct association between time spent watching television and body weight. Possible explanations for this relationship include: 1) watching television acts as a sedentary replacement for physical activity; 2) food advertisements for nutrient-poor, high-calorie foods stimulate food intake; and 3) television viewing is associated with "mindless" eating. In addition to decreasing physical activity and increasing the consumption of highly palatable foods, television viewing can also promote weight gain in indirect ways, such as through the use of targeted product placements in television shows; by influencing social perceptions of body image; and airing programs that portray cooking, eating and losing weight as entertainment. This paper will provide an interdisciplinary review of the direct and indirect ways in which television influences the obesity epidemic, and conclude with ways in which the negative impact of television on obesity could be reduced.

British Journal of Nutrition, 1997

Over the past two decades, substantial research has been conducted to investigate the idea that a... more Over the past two decades, substantial research has been conducted to investigate the idea that alterations in short-term nutritional intake play a role in influencing cognitive behaviour and mood. A portion of this research has examined specifically the effect of meal intake on the performance of mental tasks and subjective feelings of mood. Results of this research indicate that a number of variables including the timing and nutritional composition of the meal, nutritional status, habitual patterns of feeding behaviour, beliefs about food, and the nature of the mental tasks, can influence the effects of meals on cognitive behaviour. For example, studies have demonstrated that breakfast intake generally is associated with an improvement in cognitive performance later in the morning, while lunch intake is associated with an impairment in mid-afternoon performance on mental tasks and more negative reports of mood. Intake of nutrients late in the afternoon appears to have a positive e...

Nutrition Reviews, 2011

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common behavioral disorders in... more Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common behavioral disorders in children. Symptoms of ADHD include hyperactivity, low frustration tolerance, impulsivity, and inattention. While the biological pathways leading to ADHD are not clearly delineated, a number of genetic and environmental risk factors for the disorder are recognized. In the early 1970s, research conducted by Dr. Benjamin Feingold found that when hyperactive children were given a diet free of artificial food additives and dyes, symptoms of hyperactivity were reduced. While some clinical studies supported these findings, more rigorous empirical studies conducted over the next 20 years were less positive. As a result, research on the role of food additives in contributing to ADHD waned. In recent years, however, interest in this area has revived. In response to more recent research and public petitions, in December 2009 the British government requested that food manufacturers remove most artificial food dyes from their products. While these strictures could have positive effects on behavior, the removal of food dyes is not a panacea for ADHD, which is a multifaceted disorder with both biological and environmental underpinnings.

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Physiology & Behavior, 1976

Meal patterns in rats were examined as functions of the caloric density and availability of the d... more Meal patterns in rats were examined as functions of the caloric density and availability of the diet. Three diets were used, a standard laboratory diet (3.6 kcal/g), a calorically diluted diet (2.7 kcal/g), and a calorically concentrated diet (4.5 keal/g). After obtaining ad lib measures of meal patterns on each diet availability of food was constrained by requiring the rats to complete fixed ratio requirements of barpresses to obtain access to a meal. On all 3 diets, meal frequency decreased, while meal size and duration increased as functions of the ratio requirement. Under ad lib conditions and low ratio requirements, in comparison to the standard diet, meal frequency was greater on the diluted diet and less on the concentrated diet. Meal size did not vary as a function of diet on low ratio schedules. At high ratio requirements, rats continued to maintain caloric intake on the diluted diet by increasing meal frequency. On the concentrated diet, however, rats maintained intake at high ratio values by decreasing meal size rather than meal frequency. The results indicate that the rat can adopt a variety of strategies to solve the problem of controlling energy intake constant across the dally feeding cycle.

Physiology & Behavior, 1975

Patterns of food intake were examined in cats both under ad lib feeding conditions, and when the ... more Patterns of food intake were examined in cats both under ad lib feeding conditions, and when the availability of food was constrained by requiring the completion of fixed ratio schedules of bar presses to obtain a meal. As the ratio requirement was increased, frequency of feeding decreased, while both meal size and meal duration increased. Body weight did not decrease until the highest ratio requirements. When the caloric density of the diet was decreased, cats maintained bulk rather than caloric intake under all conditions of availability. It was concluded that environmental variables, particularly the availability and nutritional properties of the diet, are major determinants of natural patterns of feeding.

Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1981

Page 1. THE BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES (1981) 4, 561-607 Printed in the United States ol Ameri... more Page 1. THE BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES (1981) 4, 561-607 Printed in the United States ol America The metabolic basis of dual periodicity of feeding in rats Jacques Le Magnen Laboraloire de Neurophysiologie Sensorielle ...

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 2003

Consumption of palatable food and fluids alters the behavioral consequences of psychoactive drugs... more Consumption of palatable food and fluids alters the behavioral consequences of psychoactive drugs. To further investigate the effects of intake of palatable nutrients on the rewarding properties of these drugs, the effects of chronic intake of a sweet sucrose solution on the development of conditioned place preferences (CPP) to a mu-opioid agonist, fentanyl, and to a stimulant drug, amphetamine, were examined. Male Long-Evans rats consumed laboratory chow and water or chow, water, and a 32% sucrose solution. CPP testing was conducted in a three-chamber apparatus. In Experiment 1 (over four conditioning days), rats received saline, 0.004, or 0.016 mg/kg sc fentanyl citrate before being placed on the nonpreferred side of the apparatus and saline (subcutaneously) before being placed on the preferred side during a separate session on the same day. When given access to all three chambers, rats injected with 0.016 mg/kg fentanyl spent significantly more time on the drug-paired side than rats injected with saline. Furthermore, sucrose-fed rats displayed a significantly greater CPP than chow-fed rats. After conditioning, rats were tested for fentanyl-induced antinociception using the tail-flick test. Using a cumulative dose procedure, fentanyl (0.003, 0.010, 0.030, and 0.100 mg/kg sc) led to dose-dependent increases in tail-flick latencies. Rats fed with sucrose displayed significantly greater responses to fentanyl than those in the chow group. In Experiment 2, rats spent significantly more time on the drug-paired side of the CPP apparatus following injections of 0.33 or 1.0 mg/kg amphetamine than after saline injections. Additionally, following injection of 0.33 mg/kg amphetamine, sucrose-fed rats spent significantly more time on the drug-paired side of the chamber than chow-fed rats.

Nutrition and behavior: a multidisciplinary approach, 2015

This book chapter explores how major biological variables such as sex, age, genetic background, a... more This book chapter explores how major biological variables such as sex, age, genetic background, and disease influence the nutrition-behaviour paradigm. A specific section of the chapter features hedonic reactions to foods; in addition, the chapter specifically discusses genetic taste predisposition; developmental factors and early taste experiences; neophobia and familial interactions; preference shifts in adults; genetic variation in taste and food selection; disease, aging and other physiological differences that can influence food and fluid appetite, such as pregnancy and ethnicity/culture; and, eating attitudes.

Handbook of Operant Behavior, 2022

Nutritional Neuroscience, 2000

The effects of diet and lighting conditions on the actions of the kappa opioid receptor agonist, ... more The effects of diet and lighting conditions on the actions of the kappa opioid receptor agonist, U50, 488H, on food and water intakes were examined in male Long—Evans rats. Animals were fed chow and water, or chow, water and either a 32% sucrose solution or a 0.15% saccharin solution. In the first part of the study, sucrose and saccharin solutions were removed for 24 h, and rats then injected with 0, 4.0 or 8.0 mg/kg U50, 488H at the beginning of the dark portion of the 24-h cycle. Chow and water intakes were measured 1, 2, 4 and 24 h later. This procedure was repeated weekly until all rats had received each dose of the drug. In the second part, the procedure was identical with the exception that injections were given at the beginning of the light. When injected in the dark, U50, 488H suppressed food intake in rats which had consumed sucrose, but had minimal effects on intakes in rats which had consumed saccharin or chow alone. When U50, 488H was injected in the light, food intakes were greater 1 and 2h after injections of 4.0 mg/kg, and lower after injections of 8.0 mg/kg U50, 488H than after saline. For rats given sucrose, but not saccharin or chow alone, intakes remained suppressed 4 and 24h after 8.0 mg/kg U50, 488H. In the light and dark, and across diets, water intakes were decreased 1 and 2h, and increased 24h after U50,488H injections.

The Journal of Nutrition, 1985

Rats were allowed a free selection of a diet from among separate sources of protein, fat and carb... more Rats were allowed a free selection of a diet from among separate sources of protein, fat and carbohydrate or were fed a composite diet formulated to approximate the nutrient composition of a commonly used nonpurified diet. Immediately after streptozotocin injections, diabetic rats displayed polyuria, polydipsia and glycosuria as well as elevated fasting plasma glucose levels and glucose intolerance indicative of mild diabetes. Diabetic rats allowed a free choice tended to consume more protein and consumed significantly less carbohydrate than nondiabetics. This pattern of nutrient choice was associated with a reduction of diabetic signs including reduced polyuria, polydipsia and glycosuria. Diabetic rats permitted to choose their diets were not hyperphagic and maintained a slow but steady rate of body weight gain, accompanied by a sparing of body fat stores. In contrast, diabetic rats consuming the composite diet experienced no improvement in diabetic status; these rats displayed a deterioration of fasting plasma glucose, severe polydipsia, polyuria and glycosuria as well as hyperphagia and wasting of fat stores. These data demonstrate that when mildly diabetic rats are given the opportunity to select their own diets, they choose a diet that leads to improvement of their diabetic status.