身為一個熱愛美食、喜歡在城市裡挖掘驚喜的人，臺中公益路一直是我最常出沒的地方之一。這條路可說是「臺中人的美食戰場」，從精緻西餐到創意火鍋，從日式丼飯到義式早午餐，每走幾步，就會有完全不同的特色料理餐廳。

這次我特別花了一整個月，實際造訪了公益路上十間口碑不錯的餐廳。有的是網友熱推的打卡名店，也有隱藏在巷弄裡的小驚喜。我以環境氛圍、口味表現、價格CP值與再訪意願為基準，整理出這篇實測評比。希望能幫正在猶豫去哪裡吃飯的你，找到那一間「吃完會想再來」的餐廳。

評比標準與整理方向

這次我走訪的10家餐廳橫跨不同料理類型，從高質感牛排館到巷弄系早午餐，每一間都有自己獨特的風格。為了讓整體比較更客觀，我依照以下四大面向進行評比，並搭配實際用餐體驗來打分。

整體而言，我希望這份評比不只是「哪家好吃」，而是幫你在不同情境下（約會、家庭聚餐、朋友小聚、商業午餐）都能快速找到合適的選擇。畢竟，美食不只是味覺的滿足，更是一段段與朋友共享的生活記憶。

10間臺中公益路餐廳評比懶人包

公益路向來是臺中人聚餐的首選地段，從火鍋、燒肉到中式料理與早午餐，每走幾步就有驚喜。以下是我實際造訪過的10間代表性餐廳清單，橫跨平價、創意、高級各路風格。

一頭牛日式燒肉｜炭香濃郁的和牛饗宴，約會聚餐首選

走在公益路上，很難不被 一頭牛日式燒肉 的木質外觀吸引。低調卻不失質感的門面，搭配昏黃燈光與暖色調的內裝，讓人一進門就感受到濃濃的日式職人氛圍。店內空間不大，但桌距規劃得宜，每桌皆設有獨立排煙設備，烤肉時完全不怕滿身油煙味。

餐點特色

一頭牛的靈魂，絕對是他們招牌的「三國和牛拼盤」。
嚴選的和牛部位，共八個部位、十樣餐點，讓人能從牛頭一路品嘗到牛尾。
油花分布均勻、切片厚薄恰好，經過炭火烤炙後香氣四溢，焦香與油脂在口中交融，入口即化的滑順感令人難忘。
值得一提的是，一頭牛的菜單設計十分彈性
想要一次體驗完整套餐也可以，偏好客製口味則能自由單點組合，不受套餐限制，想吃什麼就點什麼。
而且每桌都能選擇「自行燒烤」或「專人代烤」服務，烤肉管家的火侯掌握與節奏讓整體體驗更輕鬆愉快。
除了主角和牛，旬味野炊飯 與 主廚冰淇淋 也是隱藏版亮點，前者粒粒分明、香氣撲鼻；後者以香草與焙茶為基底，隨季節更換口味，完美收尾。整體服務親切熱情，特別是壽星還能享有 生日畫盤驚喜，讓慶祝時刻更添儀式感。

用餐體驗

整體節奏掌握得非常好。店員會在你剛想烤下一片肉時貼心遞上夾子、幫忙換烤網，讓人完全不用分心。整場用餐過程就像一場表演，從視覺、嗅覺到味覺都被滿足。
如果是第一次約會或慶祝特別節日，這裡的氛圍既不尷尬又不吵鬧，是營造氣氛的理想選擇。

綜合評分

地址：408臺中市南屯區公益路二段162號

電話：04-23206800

官網：https://lihi2.me/Amijw

小結語

一頭牛日式燒肉不僅是「吃肉的地方」，更像是一場五感盛宴。從進門那一刻到最後一道甜點，都能感受到他們對細節的用心。
若要在公益路找一間能讓人「邊吃邊微笑」的燒肉店，一頭牛 絕對值得列入你的必訪清單。

TANG Zhan 湯棧｜文青系火鍋代表，麻香湯底與視覺美感並重

在公益路這條美食戰線上，TANG Zhan 湯棧 是讓人一眼就會想走進去的那一種。
黑灰調的現代外觀、搭配微霧玻璃與招牌的「湯棧」燈字，呈現出一種低調的時尚感。
店內設計延續品牌主題，以「湯」為靈魂打造整體體驗，從裝潢到香氣，都有濃厚的溫潤氣息。

餐點特色

湯棧最有名的當然是它的「麻香鍋」。
湯底以雞骨與多種辛香料慢熬，香氣濃郁卻不嗆辣，入口後會在喉間留下柔和的花椒香。
「招牌麻油雞鍋」與「黃金牛奶鍋」也是人氣選項，特別是在冬天，溫潤的湯底配上滑嫩肉片，讓人每一口都覺得暖心。
他們的「滷肉飯」和「香蔥豆腐皮」更是許多老客人必點的靈魂配角，簡單卻有記憶點。

用餐體驗

整體氛圍比一般火鍋店更有質感。
桌距寬敞、燈光柔和，店員動作俐落又親切。即使客滿，也不會感覺吵雜或壓迫。
不論是一個人想靜靜吃鍋、或是朋友聚餐，湯棧都能給你剛剛好的距離與溫度。
值得一提的是，上菜速度快、湯底續湯毫不手軟，細節服務到位。

綜合評分

地址：408臺中市南屯區公益路二段248號

電話：04-22580617

官網：https://www.facebook.com/TangZhan.tw/

小結語

NINI 尼尼臺中店｜明亮寬敞的義式早午餐天堂

如果說前兩間是肉食愛好者的天堂，那 NINI 尼尼臺中店 絕對是想放鬆、聊聊天的好地方。餐廳外觀以白色系與大片玻璃窗為主，陽光灑進室內，讓人一踏入就有種度假般的輕盈感。假日早午餐時段特別熱鬧，建議提早訂位。

餐點特色

NINI 的菜單融合義式與臺灣人口味，選擇多樣且份量十足。主打的 松露燉飯 濃郁卻不膩口，米芯保留微Q口感；而 香蒜海鮮義大利麵 則以新鮮白蝦、花枝與淡菜搭配微辣蒜香，口感層次豐富。
此外，他們的薄餅披薩相當受歡迎，餅皮薄脆、餡料新鮮，是三五好友共享的好選擇。

用餐體驗

店內氣氛輕鬆不拘謹，無論是一個人帶電腦工作、或朋友聚餐，都能找到舒服角落。餐點上桌速度穩定，服務人員態度親切、補水與收盤都非常主動。整體節奏讓人覺得「時間變慢了」，很適合想遠離忙碌日常的人。

綜合評分

地址：40861臺中市南屯區公益路二段18號

電話：04-23288498

官網：https://nini.com.tw/

小結語

加分100%浜中特選昆布鍋物｜平價卻用心的湯頭系火鍋，家庭聚餐好選擇

在公益路這條高質感餐廳林立的戰場上，加分100%浜中特選昆布鍋物 走的是截然不同的路線。它沒有浮誇的裝潢、也沒有高價位的套餐，但靠著實在的湯頭與親切的服務，默默吸引許多回頭客。每到用餐時間，總能看到家庭或情侶三兩成群地圍著鍋邊聊天。

餐點特色

主打 北海道浜中昆布湯底，湯頭清澈卻不單薄，越煮越能喝出海藻與柴魚的自然香氣。
我這次點的是「牛奶昆布鍋」，入口時奶香與昆布香完美融合，搭配新鮮的牛五花肉片，滑順又不膩。
菜盤走健康取向，蔬菜比例高，連玉米、南瓜、豆皮都能吃出甜味；附餐的烏龍麵Q彈有嚼勁，吃完十分有飽足感。

用餐體驗

整體氛圍偏家庭取向，桌距寬敞、座位舒適，帶小孩來也不覺擁擠。店員態度親切，補湯、收盤都很勤快，給人一種「被照顧著」的安心感。
最難得的是，即使價位不高，食材新鮮度仍維持得很好，能感受到店家對品質的堅持。

綜合評分

地址：403臺中市西區公益路288號

電話：0910855180

官網：https://giafine100.com/

小結語

加分100%浜中特選昆布鍋物是一間「不浮誇、但會讓人想再訪」的火鍋店。它不追求豪華擺盤，而是用最簡單的湯頭與新鮮食材，傳遞出家常卻不平凡的溫度。
如果你想在公益路找一間可以放心帶家人一起吃的鍋物店，這裡絕對會讓人感到「加分」不少。

印月餐廳｜中式料理的藝術演繹，宴客與家庭聚會首選

說到臺中公益路的中式料理代表，印月餐廳 絕對是榜上有名。這間開業多年的餐廳以「中菜西吃」的概念聞名，把傳統中式料理以現代手法重新詮釋。從建築外觀到餐具擺設，每個細節都散發著低調的典雅氣息。
走進印月，挑高的空間、柔和的燈光與木質桌椅構成沉穩的氛圍。
不論是家庭聚餐、商務宴客，還是節日慶祝，都能找到恰到好處的格調。

餐點特色

印月最令人印象深刻的是他們將傳統中菜融入創意手法。
這次我品嚐的「松露雞湯」香氣濃郁、層次分明，一口下去既有中式的溫潤感，又帶出西式松露的奢華香氣。
「蒜香牛肋條」則是另一道招牌菜，外酥內嫩、油香十足，咬下去肉汁在口中散開，搭配特調醬汁非常過癮。
此外，他們的創意港點如「麻辣小籠包」與「金沙流沙包」也深受年輕客群喜愛，既保留經典又玩出新意。

用餐體驗

服務方面完全對得起餐廳的高級定位。從入座、點餐到上菜節奏，都拿捏得恰如其分。每道菜都會有服務人員細心介紹食材與吃法，讓人感受到「被款待」的尊榮感。
雖然價位偏中高，但在這樣的氛圍與品質下，物有所值。

綜合評分

地址：408臺中市南屯區公益路二段818號

電話：0422511155

官網：https://wein818.com/

小結語

印月餐廳是一間「不只吃飯，更像品味生活」的地方。
它成功地讓中式料理不再只是圓桌菜，而是能展現質感、講究細節的美食體驗。
若你在找一間能同時滿足味蕾與體面的餐廳，印月 絕對是公益路上的不敗經典。

KoDō 和牛燒肉｜極致職人精神，專為儀式感與頂級味覺而生

若要形容 KoDō 和牛燒肉 的用餐體驗，一句話足以總結——「像在欣賞一場關於肉的表演」。
隱身在公益路一隅，KoDō 的外觀低調典雅，店內以深色木質調與間接照明營造出沉穩氛圍。
從踏入店門那一刻開始，服務人員的態度、動線、聲音控制，全都精準到位，讓人彷彿走進日式劇場。

餐點特色

這裡主打 日本A5和牛冷藏肉，以「精切厚燒」的方式呈現。
我點的「壽喜燒風和牛套餐」是本日最驚艷的一道——服務人員現場以鐵鍋輕煎，再淋上特製壽喜燒醬汁，香氣瞬間瀰漫整桌。
肉片油花細緻、入口即化，搭配生蛋液後更添柔滑口感。
另一道「冷藏肋眼心」則保留了和牛的彈性與甜度，每一口都能感受到油脂與炭火交織出的層次。
即使是配角如「季節小菜」與「日式和風飯」也毫不馬虎，整體呈現出高級卻不造作的平衡。

用餐體驗

KoDō 的最大特色是「儀式感」。
每位店員的動作都有節奏，從擺盤、火候、換網到講解，都像排練過無數次的演出。
在這裡用餐，會自然地放慢速度，專注於每一口肉帶來的細膩變化。
特別推薦搭配店內的紅酒或日本威士忌，風味更加圓潤。

綜合評分

地址：403臺中市西區公益路260號

電話：0423220312

官網：https://www.facebook.com/kodo2018/

小結語

KoDō 和牛燒肉不是日常餐廳，而是一場體驗。
從環境、服務到食材，每個細節都讓人感受到對「完美」的執著。
若你想在公益路找一間能讓人留下深刻印象、適合紀念日慶祝的餐廳，KoDō 絕對是值得收藏的一次「味覺儀式」。

永心鳳茶｜在茶香裡用餐的優雅時光，臺味早午餐的新詮釋

走進 永心鳳茶公益店，彷彿進入一間有氣質的茶館。
柔和的燈光灑在復古綠牆上，搭配大理石桌面與金色餐具，整體氛圍既典雅又帶有一絲文青氣息。
這裡不只是喝茶的地方，更像是把「臺灣味」以早午餐的形式重新演繹。

餐點特色

永心鳳茶的餐點結合中式靈魂與西式擺盤，無論是「炸雞腿飯」還是「紅玉紅茶拿鐵」，都能讓人感受到熟悉卻不平凡的味道。
炸雞腿外酥內嫩，搭配自製酸菜與溏心蛋，鹹香中帶著層次感。
「鳳茶甜點拼盤」則以茶為靈魂——伯爵茶蛋糕、烏龍茶奶酪、紅茶雪酥，每一口都有細緻的香氣變化。
最特別的是他們的茶飲，從臺灣高山紅茶到金萱冷泡茶，每一壺都現泡現倒，香氣清雅。
對我而言，這不只是一頓飯，更是一段放鬆的午後儀式。

用餐體驗

店內服務人員態度溫和，對茶品介紹詳盡。上餐節奏剛好，不急不徐。
整體氛圍很「耐坐」，許多客人吃完正餐後仍會續點一壺茶聊天。
音樂輕柔、光線柔和，是那種可以靜靜待上兩小時的地方。

綜合評分

地址：40360臺中市西區公益路68號三樓(勤美誠品)

電話：0423221118

官網：https://linktr.ee/yonshin

小結語

永心鳳茶讓人重新定義「臺味」。
它不走傳統路線，而是把熟悉的元素以更細緻、更現代的方式呈現。
無論是姊妹下午茶、親子餐聚，或是想一個人沉澱片刻，永心鳳茶 都是一處能讓人慢下來、品味生活的好地方。

三希樓｜老饕級江浙功夫菜，穩重又帶人情味的中式饗宴

位於公益路上的 三希樓 是許多臺中老饕的口袋名單。
它沒有浮誇的裝潢，卻有一種低調的自信。從大門進入，就能聞到淡淡的醬香與蒸氣味，那是正宗江浙菜的靈魂。
整體裝潢以深木色為主，搭配圓桌與包廂設計，非常適合家庭聚餐或請客宴會。

餐點特色

三希樓的菜色以 江浙與港式料理 為主，兼顧傳統與現代風味。
我這次點了「東坡肉」與「蝦仁炒飯」，兩道都展現了主廚深厚的火候功力。
東坡肉油亮卻不膩，入口即化、鹹甜交織；蝦仁炒飯粒粒分明、香氣十足，每一口都吃得到鑊氣。
此外，「小籠包」皮薄多汁，是幾乎每桌必點的招牌；港點類如「金牌流沙包」與「干貝燒賣」也都表現穩定。

用餐體驗

三希樓的服務給人一種老派但貼心的感覺。
店員上菜節奏掌握得很好，會主動幫忙分菜、收盤，態度沉穩而不打擾。
最讓我印象深刻的是，這裡的客群非常多元——有帶長輩的家庭、公司聚餐，也有情侶共度節日，卻都能在同一空間裡感到自在。

綜合評分

地址：408臺中市南屯區公益路二段95號

電話：0423202322

官網：https://www.sanxilou.com.tw/

小結語

三希樓是一間「吃得出功夫」的餐廳。
它不追求創新，而是用穩定的味道與真材實料，抓住每一位饕客的胃。
如果你想在公益路上找一間能兼顧長輩口味、氣氛又不拘謹的中餐廳，三希樓 絕對是最穩妥的選擇。

一笈壽司｜低調奢華的無菜單日料，職人手藝詮釋旬味極致

在熱鬧的公益路上，一笈壽司 低調得幾乎不顯眼。
外觀簡約，沒有華麗招牌，只有小小的木質門面與柔黃燈光。
一推開門，迎面而來的是日式杉木香氣與寧靜的氛圍，吧檯座位整齊排列，主廚站在中間，彷彿舞臺上的演出者。

餐點特色

一笈壽司採 Omakase（無菜單料理） 形式，每一餐都由主廚根據當日食材設計。
我這次選擇中價位套餐（約 $1200），共十多道料理，從前菜、小鉢、刺身、握壽司到甜點一氣呵成。
「比目魚鰭邊握」是整場最驚豔的瞬間——主廚以火槍輕炙，油脂瞬間釋放，入口後化成柔滑香氣。
「甜蝦海膽軍艦」則完美展現鮮度與層次感，海膽甘甜、甜蝦緊實。
搭配主廚親自調配的醬汁，每一口都像在品嚐季節的節奏。

用餐體驗

整場用餐約90分鐘，節奏緩慢但沉穩。
主廚會邊料理邊與客人互動，介紹魚種產地與食材處理方式。
雖然整體空間不大，但氣氛極佳——柔和的音樂、清酒的香氣、刀刃切魚時的聲音，讓人完全沉浸其中。
特別喜歡他們最後的甜點「焙茶奶酪」，收尾清爽優雅，為整場體驗畫下完美句點。

綜合評分

地址：408臺中市南屯區公益路二段25號

電話：0423206368

官網：https://www.facebook.com/YIJI.sushi/

小結語

一笈壽司是一間真正讓人「放慢呼吸」的餐廳。
這裡沒有多餘擺盤，也不靠噱頭，而是以主廚對食材的尊重與技術堆疊出一場味覺饗宴。
若你想在公益路體驗日本料理最純粹的精神，一笈壽司 絕對值得你預約、靜靜期待。

茶六燒肉堂｜人氣爆棚的和牛燒肉聖地，肉香與幸福感同時滿分

若要票選公益路上「最難訂位」的餐廳，茶六燒肉堂 絕對名列前茅。
不管平日或假日，用餐時段幾乎一位難求。外觀以木質格柵搭配大面玻璃設計，呈現出年輕又有質感的風格。店內空間明亮、桌距適中，播放著輕快的音樂，整體氛圍熱鬧中帶點高級感，是許多年輕人聚餐、慶生的首選地。

餐點特色

茶六主打 和牛燒肉套餐，價格約落在 $700–$1000 間，份量與品質兼具。
我這次點的是「厚切牛舌套餐」，肉片厚實彈牙，略帶脆感，搭配鹽蔥提味剛剛好。
另一道「和牛拼盤」也相當受歡迎，油花分布均勻、香氣濃郁，輕烤幾秒即可入口即化。
套餐附餐部分也相當用心：沙拉新鮮、味噌湯濃郁，最後還有一份「茶香冰淇淋」作結尾，香氣清爽，完美收尾。

用餐體驗

茶六的服務效率相當高。店員親切、換網勤快、補水速度快，整場用餐流程流暢無壓力。
雖然客人很多，但環境維持得乾淨整潔，動線規劃良好。
最令人印象深刻的是他們的 整體節奏拿捏得剛剛好 ——餐點上桌快、氣氛熱絡，卻不會讓人覺得匆忙。
不論是朋友聚會、家庭聚餐，甚至是情侶約會，都能找到各自的樂趣。

綜合評分

地址：403臺中市西區公益路268號

電話：0423281167

官網：https://inline.app/booking/-L93VSXuz8o86ahWDRg0:inline-live-karuizawa/-LUYUEIOYwa7GCUpAFWA

小結語

茶六燒肉堂用「穩定品質＋輕奢氛圍」抓住了臺中年輕族群的心。
不論是第一次約會還是老朋友重聚，都能在這裡找到屬於燒肉的快樂節奏。
若你在公益路只想挑一家「保證不踩雷」的燒肉店，茶六燒肉堂 絕對是首選。

吃完10家公益路餐廳後的心得與結語

吃完這十家餐廳後，臺中公益路不只是一條美食街，而是一段生活風景線。

有的餐廳講究細膩與儀式感，像 一頭牛日式燒肉 與 一笈壽司，讓人感受到食材最純粹的美好

有的則以親切與溫度打動人心，像 加分昆布鍋物、永心鳳茶，讓人明白吃飯不只是為了飽足，而是一種被照顧的幸福。

而像茶六燒肉堂、TANG Zhan 湯棧 這類人氣名店，則用穩定的品質與熱絡的氛圍，成為許多臺中人心中「想吃肉就去那裡」的代名詞。

這十家店，構成了公益路最動人的縮影

有華麗的，也有溫柔的；有傳統的，也有創新的。

 每一家都在自己的風格裡發光，讓人吃到的不只是料理，而是一種生活的溫度與節奏。

對我而言，這不僅是一場美食旅程，更是一趟關於「臺中味道」的回憶之旅。

FAQ：關於臺中公益路美食常見問題

Q1：公益路哪一區的餐廳最集中？
 最熱鬧的區段大約在「公益路與黎明路口」一帶，這裡聚集了許多知名餐廳，從高級燒肉到早午餐通通有。
像 一頭牛日式燒肉、TANG Zhan 湯棧、茶六燒肉堂 都在這附近，交通方便、停車也相對容易。

Q2：需要提前訂位嗎？
 公益路的熱門餐廳幾乎都建議 提早3～5天訂位，尤其是假日或節慶期間。
特別是 一頭牛日式燒肉、KoDō 和牛燒肉、一笈壽司 這幾家，若臨時前往幾乎很難有位。

最後的話

若要用一句話形容這趟美食之旅，我會說：
「在公益路，吃飯不是選擇，而是一種享受。」
這條路上的每一次用餐，都像一段城市裡的小旅行。
下次當你不確定想吃什麼時，不妨沿著公益路走一圈，或許下一家，正好就是你新的最愛。

一笈壽司有生日驚喜或畫盤嗎？

如果你也和我一樣喜歡用味蕾探索一座城市，那就把這篇公益路美食攻略收藏起來吧。一頭牛日式燒肉小資族值得嗎？

無論是約會、慶生、家庭聚餐，或只是想犒賞一下辛苦的自己——這條路上永遠會有一間剛剛好的餐廳在等你。三希樓慶生氛圍夠嗎？

下一餐，不妨從這10家開始。TANG Zhan 湯棧大型聚餐空間夠不夠？

打開手機、約上朋友，讓公益路成為你生活裡最容易抵達的小確幸。TANG Zhan 湯棧適合約會嗎？

如果你有私心愛店，也歡迎留言分享，加分100%浜中特選昆布鍋物適合跨年聚餐嗎？

你的推薦，可能讓我下一趟美食旅程變得更精彩。茶六燒肉堂值得推薦嗎？

Large chains of migrating cells forming braided streams break down into a shower of young migrating neurons that continue to integrate into the entorhinal cortex and neighboring regions until 2-3 years of age. Credit: Lab of Shawn Sorrell/Pitt New research shows the brain continues developing post-birth, with significant neuron migration in the entorhinal cortex enhancing learning and memory capabilities. The human brain continues to develop long after birth, much longer than previously thought, according to research led by Shawn Sorrells, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. Sorrells’s findings, published in the journal Nature, shed light on key processes that shape critical brain functions like learning, memory, and spatial navigation. Neuronal Migration in the Entorhinal Cortex The study reveals that a specific group of inhibitory neurons in the entorhinal cortex (EC)—a region of the brain vital for forming memories—continues to migrate and establish connections from birth through toddlerhood. This extensive postnatal neuronal migration may drive critical periods of neuroplasticity, during which the brain is highly adaptable and responsive to changes. Additionally, the research suggests a link between this prolonged migration and the vulnerability of EC neurons to neurodegeneration. Previous studies have shown that these same neurons are among the first affected in Alzheimer’s disease, offering a potential explanation for their susceptibility. Insights From Brain Sample Analysis By analyzing brain samples that were provided, in part, by the epilepsy tissue bank at UPMC Children ’s Hospital and the Neuropathology Department at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, Sorrells’ research team was first to show that, unlike what was previously thought, neuronal migration of such scale and duration is extensive within regions that control thoughts and emotions. The discovery offers an explanation for how the human brain makes billions of new neurons over a very short time span through a mechanism that allows neurons to continue arriving after birth. Surprising Findings on Neuronal Recruitment “It is generally thought that the brain is done recruiting neurons by the time an individual is born,” said Sorrells. “We were incredibly excited to learn that not only does large-scale neuronal migration continue into specific brain regions, but that this process also continues into ages when children are crawling and beginning to walk.” Reference: “Protracted neuronal recruitment in the temporal lobes of young children” by Marcos Assis Nascimento, Sean Biagiotti, Vicente Herranz-Pérez, Samara Santiago, Raymund Bueno, Chun J. Ye, Taylor J. Abel, Zhuangzhi Zhang, Juan S. Rubio-Moll, Arnold R. Kriegstein, Zhengang Yang, Jose Manuel Garcia-Verdugo, Eric J. Huang, Arturo Alvarez-Buylla and Shawn F. Sorrells, 20 December 2023, Nature. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06981-x

Researchers study how grandmothers’ brains respond to the sight of their grandchildren. A first look at grandmaternal brain function. Many people lucky enough to have grown up with doting grandmothers know that they can burnish a child’s development in unique and valuable ways. Now, for the first time, scientists have scanned grandmothers’ brains while they’re viewing photos of their young grandchildren — providing a neural snapshot of this special, inter-generational bond. Proceedings of the Royal Society B published the first study to examine grandmaternal brain function, conducted by researchers at Emory University. “What really jumps out in the data is the activation in areas of the brain associated with emotional empathy,” says James Rilling, Emory professor of anthropology and lead author of the study. “That suggests that grandmothers are geared toward feeling what their grandchildren are feeling when they interact with them. If their grandchild is smiling, they’re feeling the child’s joy. And if their grandchild is crying, they’re feeling the child’s pain and distress.” In contrast, the study found that when grandmothers view images of their adult child, they show stronger activation in an area of the brain associated with cognitive empathy. That indicates they may be trying to cognitively understand what their adult child is thinking or feeling and why, but not as much from the emotional side. “Young children have likely evolved traits to be able to manipulate not just the maternal brain, but the grand maternal brain,” Rilling says. “An adult child doesn’t have the same cute ‘factor,’ so they may not elicit the same emotional response.” Co-authors of the study are Minwoo Lee, a PhD candidate in Emory’s Department of Anthropology, and Amber Gonzalez, a former Emory research specialist. “I can relate to this research personally because I spent a lot of time interacting with both of my grandmothers,” Lee says. “I still remember warmly the moments I had with them. They were always so welcoming and happy to see me. As a child, I didn’t really understand why.” It’s relatively rare, Lee adds, for scientists to study the older human brain outside of the problems of dementia or other aging disorders. “Here, we’re highlighting the brain functions of grandmothers that may play an important role in our social lives and development,” Lee says. “It’s an important aspect of the human experience that has been largely left out of the field of neuroscience.” Rilling’s lab focuses on the neural basis of human social cognition and behavior. Motherhood has been extensively studied by other neuroscientists. Rilling is a leader in researching the lesser-explored neuroscience of fatherhood. Grandmothers interacting with grandchildren offered new neural territory. “Evidence is emerging in neuroscience for a global, parental caregiving system in the brain,” Rilling says. “We wanted to see how grandmothers might fit into that pattern.” Humans are cooperative breeders, meaning that mothers get help caring for their offspring, although the sources of that help vary both across and within societies. “We often assume that fathers are the most important caregivers next to mothers, but that’s not always true,” Rilling says. “In some cases, grandmothers are the primary helper.” In fact, the “grandmother hypothesis” posits that the reason human females tend to live long past their reproductive years is because they provide evolutionary benefits to their offspring and grandchildren. Evidence supporting this hypothesis includes a study of the traditional Hadza people of Tanzania, where foraging by grandmothers improves the nutritional status of their grandchildren. Another study of traditional communities showed that the presence of grandmothers decreases their daughters’ interbirth intervals and increases the number of grandchildren. And in more modern societies, evidence is accumulating that positively engaged grandmothers are associated with children having better outcomes on a range of measures, including academic, social, behavioral, and physical health. For the current study, the researchers wanted to understand the brains of healthy grandmothers and how that may relate to the benefits they provide to their families. The 50 participants in the study completed questionnaires about their experiences as grandmothers, providing details such as how much time they spend with their grandchildren, the activities they do together, and how much affection they feel for them. They also underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure their brain function as they viewed pictures of their grandchild, an unknown child, the same-sex parent of the grandchild, and an unknown adult. The results showed that, while viewing pictures of their grandchildren, most participants showed more activity in brain areas involved with emotional empathy and movement, compared to when they were viewing the other images. Grandmothers who more strongly activated areas involved with cognitive empathy when viewing pictures of their grandchild reported in the questionnaire that they desired greater involvement in caring for the grandchild. Finally, compared with results from an earlier study by the Rilling lab of fathers viewing photos of their children, grandmothers more strongly activated regions involved with emotional empathy and motivation, on average, when viewing images of their grandchildren. “Our results add to the evidence that there does seem to be a global parenting caregiving system in the brain, and that grandmothers’ responses to their grandchildren maps onto it,” Rilling says. One limitation to the study, the researchers note, is that the participants skewed towards mentally and physically healthy women who are high-functioning grandmothers. The study opens the door to many more questions to be explored. “It would be interesting to also look at the neuroscience of grandfathers and how the brain functions of grandparents may differ across cultures,” Lee says. An especially gratifying aspect of the project for Rilling was personally interviewing all the participants himself. “It was fun,” he says. “I wanted to get a sense of the rewards and challenges of being a grandmother.” The main challenge many of them reported was trying not to interfere when they disagreed with the parents over how their grandchildren should be raised and what values should be instilled in them. “Many of them also said how nice it is to not be under as much time and financial pressure as they were when raising their children,” Rilling says. “They get to enjoy the experience of being a grandmother much more than they did being parents.” Reference: “The neural correlates of grandmaternal caregiving” by James K. Rilling, Amber Gonzalez and Minwoo Lee, 17 November 2021, Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1997 This work was supported in part by the Silvia O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition.

A Stanford study on mice decision-making reveals that hunger and thirst modulate goals rather than directly influencing choices, highlighting the brain’s role in navigating conflicting needs. Credit: SciTechDaily.com Making choices can be difficult. We often face dilemmas where selecting one option means missing out on another. This concept applies to everyone, including a hungry mouse, where every bit of food matters. But what if the stakes are higher than just picking between tiny food scraps and a piece of cheese? Stanford researchers investigated how mice resolve conflicts between basic needs in a study recently published in the journal Nature. They presented mice that were both hungry and thirsty with equal access to food and water and watched to see what happened next. The behavior of the mice surprised the scientists. Some gravitated first toward water, while others chose food. Then, with seemingly “random” periods of indulgence, they switched back and forth. In their study, PhD candidate Ethan Richman, lead author of the paper, and colleagues in the departments of Biology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Bioengineering explored why. This work builds on years of collaboration between co-senior authors Karl Deisseroth, the D.H. Chen Professor at Stanford Medicine, and Liqun Luo, the Ann and Bill Swindells Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, to understand how the brain keeps the body alive. Buridan’s what? “There’s this old philosophical quandary called Buridan’s Ass,” explained Richman, “where you have a donkey that is equally hungry and thirsty and equally far from food and water.” The concept was posited by philosophers Aristotle, Jean Buridan, and Baruch Spinoza, in different forms. The question was whether the donkey would choose one need over the other or remain stubbornly in the middle. But animals are constantly making choices. We must satisfy our needs to maintain homeostasis. Richman and colleagues wanted to know how the brain directs traffic through conflicting signals to flout Buridan. They call their behavioral experiment “Buridan’s Assay.” If hunger or thirst directly motivated a mouse to eat or drink, it would switch as soon as one need outweighed the other. When needs were equal, the mouse would be stuck. This is not what the researchers observed. “Our data indicate that thirst and hunger don’t act as direct forces on behavior,” said Richman. “Instead, they modulate behavior more indirectly. They’re influencing what we think of as the current goal of the mouse.” A mouse’s goal We often think of choices as a decisive moment. The researchers wanted to understand when and where choices between food and water originate in the brain. Using recent advances in recording technology, they monitored activity from individual neurons spread across the mouse brain. To their surprise, neuron activity patterns throughout the brain predicted the mouse’s choice, even before it was presented with options. “Instead of a single moment of choice, the mouse’s brain is constantly broadcasting its current goal,” said Richman. “Outcomes of the hardest choices you make – when options are closely balanced in importance, but the categories are fundamentally different – may have to do with the state your brain happened to be in, even before the choice was presented,” said Deisseroth. “That’s an interesting outcome and it helps us understand aspects of human behavior better.” Exploring the random The researchers found that hungry and thirsty mice often make the same choice repeatedly before suddenly switching. “In eating mode, the mouse will just eat and eat. In drinking mode, it will drink and drink,” said Luo. “But there is an aspect of randomness that causes them to switch between these two. That way, in the long run, they fulfill both needs, even if at any given time they are only choosing one.” To test this apparent randomness, the researchers ran another experiment, this time with hungry mice. As the mice ate, scientists introduced thirst through a technique called optogenetics. With optogenetics, they used light to activate neurons causing thirst. Sometimes the mice switched to water, and sometimes they ignored it and kept eating. The level of thirst was the same each time, leading the researchers to conclude there is a key randomness influencing the mouse’s goal. The scientists were perplexed by the interplay between this randomness and the relative intensities of hunger and thirst. To better understand it, they turned to mathematical modeling. Inspired by a conceptual resemblance between their results and a distant field of physics, the researchers borrowed, tweaked, and simulated several equations. “We were extremely surprised and excited to find that a few simple equations from a seemingly unrelated discipline could closely predict aspects of mouse behavior and brain activity,” said Richman. The results of their modeling suggested that the brain activity relating to the mouse’s goal is constantly in motion. It gets trapped by needs like hunger and thirst. To escape and transition from one goal to another, the mouse relies on a lucky series of random activity. This work establishes the importance of the brain’s shifting baseline state when it comes to decision-making. In the future, the researchers will explore what sets the tone and why decisions don’t always make sense. Beyond Buridan “In terms of Buridan’s Ass, we can say that the donkey’s mind is made up before it is given a choice,” says Richman, “and if it has to wait, then its choice may spontaneously switch.” Clinical applications for this work in the human context are a bit more complex. “As a psychiatrist, I often think about how we make healthy (adaptive) or harmful (maladaptive) decisions,” said Deisseroth. (Maladaptive behaviors impact people’s ability to make decisions in their best interest and they are common in psychiatric disorders.) “It’s very hard for family and friends to see loved ones act against their own survival drives. It may help to understand the choices made as reflecting the underlying dynamical landscape of the patient’s brain, affected by the disorder more than by the patient’s conscious volition.” Although this work might not explain human behavior, it begins to reveal an important framework for decision-making. “This is basic discovery science that depends on pretty advanced neuro-engineering, but at the core, we address universal questions that people think about and experience all the time,” said Deisseroth. “It’s exciting to develop and apply modern tools to address these very old, deep, and personal questions.” Reference: “Neural landscape diffusion resolves conflicts between needs across time” by Ethan B. Richman, Nicole Ticea, William E. Allen, Karl Deisseroth and Liqun Luo, 8 November 2023, Nature. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06715-z This work was funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Gatsby Foundation.

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