Can’t remember the last time you had a midnight snack? New research suggests there may be a reason: Late-night snacking causes a deficiency in a particular type of learning and memory.

According to the findings, published in the journal eLife, eating at times normally reserved for sleep alters activity a region of the brain that governs memory and critical thinking, Medical Xpress reports.

Researchers from the Semel Institute in the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California-Los Angeles report that their study confirms that eating at inappropriate hours has an an impact on metabolic health, for example leading to a pre-diabetic state, which can affect mental abilities.

"We have provided the first evidence that taking regular meals at the wrong time of day has far-reaching effects for learning and memory," says Dawn Loh from the UCLA Laboratory of Circadian and Sleep Medicine.

"Since many people find themselves working or playing during times when they'd normally be asleep, it is important to know that this could dull some of the functions of the brain."
The researchers stress that their findings are based on studies of mice, but have significant implications for people, too.

"Modern schedules can lead us to eat around the clock so it is important to understand how the timing of food can impact cogitation," says Christopher Colwell, a professor from the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA.

"For the first time, we have shown that simply adjusting the time when food is made available alters the molecular clock in the hippocampus and can alter the cognitive performance of mice."