Obesity affects the ability to learn and remember

Researchers from Princeton Neuroscience Institute of Princeton University learn how obesity affects the brain. Published on Monday in the Journal of Neuroscience (The Journal of Neuroscience), this study found that obese mice could not complete obstacle courses like mice without Obesity because of toxic immune cells.

According to the Disaster Control and Prevention Center, in the United States, about 39.8% of adults are obese. That is equivalent to 93.9 million people, only in the United States. Globally, that number is about 600 million people who are obese. Obesity has long been known to be associated with conditions such as stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart problems and some cancers.

Obesity contributes to Alzheimer's disease.

In this study, the scientists surveyed two groups of male mice: one group was fed a high-fat diet and they weighed 40% more than the mice that ate standard and balanced diets. normal heavy Fatty mice were unable to escape the labyrinth like mice without obesity, and their ability to remember an object's location was also worse.

The circular blocks called dendritic spine are located on nerve cells, which have the function of receiving signals. Obese mice often have less dendritic in the brain called the hippocampus, which is important for their ability to remember and learn. The loss of these dendrites appears very clearly in various parts of the hippocampus.

These dendrites are destroyed because of the number of microglia.

These dendritic cells are destroyed because the number of microglia (glial cells) , which are immune cells, appears more and more around neuronal connections in fat mice. enlarged. The researchers interfered with these microglia in obese mice and found that dendritic dorsal cells in the brain would be protected and the mice would begin to improve on the tests.

Previously, scientists realized that obesity contributed to Alzheimer's disease . A study in February found that obesity may be the cause of Alzheimer's disease and recommends that obesity prevention and treatment may be a way to avoid getting sick.

Other studies have also shown the association of microglia with Alzheimer's disease, including a study published in December 2017. Scientists recognize that glial cell micro dysfunction ( microglial dysfunction is a contributing factor to disease.

This study brings great benefits because scientists are able to find a way to prevent microglia from damaging dendritic dorsal, helping to protect people from brain problems associated with obesity, purses. Alzheimer's. If they can block these overactive microglia in humans as they did with mice, they can offer a number of different treatments.

Even if cognitive problems are not related to obesity, this study still helps scientists develop new therapeutic potential solutions.