Ingestion of artificial sweeteners leads to caloric frustration memory in Drosophila

Pierre-Yves Musso, Aurélie Lampin-Saint-Amaux, Paul Tchenio and Thomas Preat ()
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Pierre-Yves Musso: Genes and Dynamics of Memory Systems, Brain Plasticity Unit, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University
Aurélie Lampin-Saint-Amaux: Genes and Dynamics of Memory Systems, Brain Plasticity Unit, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University
Paul Tchenio: Genes and Dynamics of Memory Systems, Brain Plasticity Unit, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University
Thomas Preat: Genes and Dynamics of Memory Systems, Brain Plasticity Unit, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Non-caloric artificial sweeteners (NAS) are widely used in modern human food, raising the question about their health impact. Here we have asked whether NAS consumption is a neutral experience at neural and behavioral level, or if NAS can be interpreted and remembered as negative experience. We used behavioral and imaging approaches to demonstrate that Drosophila melanogaster learn the non-caloric property of NAS through post-ingestion process. These results show that sweet taste is predictive of an energy value, and its absence leads to the formation of what we call Caloric Frustration Memory (CFM) that devalues the NAS or its caloric enantiomer. CFM formation involves activity of the associative memory brain structure, the mushroom bodies (MBs). In vivo calcium imaging of MB-input dopaminergic neurons that respond to sugar showed a reduced response to NAS after CFM formation. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that NAS are a negative experience for the brain.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01989-0

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