An Evolutionary Perspective on Why Food Overconsumption Impairs Cognition

Neuronal networks in brain regions critical for spatial navigation and decision-making evolved to enable success in competition for limited food availability in hazardous environments. A major ecological factor that drove the evolution of cognition, namely food scarcity, has been largely eliminated from the day-to-day experiences of modern-day humans and domesticated animals. Continuous availability and consumption of energy-rich food in...