Effect of glucose, glucose regulation, and word imagery value on human memory

Changes in memory performance were examined after intake of a glucose (50 g ) or saccharin (50 mg) solution in fasted men and women. Glucoregulation wa s estimated by using a recovery index to categorize participants within eac h gender as having poor or good recovery. Memory was assessed with word-lea rning tasks in which the imagery-evoking value of the words was systematica lly manipulated to yield high- and low-imagery lists. The results showed th at men and women characterized as having poor glucose regulation had signif icantly worse memory performance under the saccharin condition. This decrem ent was reversed by glucose ingestion. These effects were observed for both low- and high-imagery words. This study supports the hypothesis that poor glucoregulation is associated with poor memory performance even in young he althy participants and that the ingestion of glucose can improve their memo ry.