Sweet Relief? Short-Term Post-Traumatic High-Sucrose Intake Attenuates Acute but Not Long-Term Fear Responses in Mice.

People often turn to sweet foods for comfort during times of stress, as energy imbalance is implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although acute sucrose consumption may improve cognitive capabilities, its long-term effectiveness has been debated.

Objectives

In a widely used mouse model, we examined the effect of sucrose drinking on conditioned fear-induced freezing (as a model of PTSD), with emphasis on the concentrations and timing of the intervention as well as sex differences. We aimed to develop a low-cost, widely accessible therapeutic option.

Methods

A short electric foot shock was used for trauma, and freezing was detected 24 h (mimicking acute stress disorder, ASD) or 14 days (PTSD-like symptoms) later in the trauma context and with trauma cues.

Results

First, we confirmed that our trauma increased freezing, independent of previous habituation to sucrose drinking. Next, we confirmed that 16% and 32%, but not 2% sucrose drinking for 24 h (but not 3 h) immediately after trauma, diminished freezing behavior the next day. However, the same intervention did not influence behavior 14 days later. Moreover, we could not find any curative effect of 24 h of 16% sucrose consumption before testing remote fear memory 14 days after trauma.

Conclusions

Consuming a high-calorie solution immediately following trauma for 24 h may influence ASD but does not necessarily alter the development of PTSD symptoms. Here, we offer a new perspective on energy regulation in neuropsychiatric disorders.