Obesity diminishes synaptic markers, alters microglial morphology, and impairs cognitive function

Obesity is a major public health problem affecting overall physical and emotional well-being. Despite compelling data suggesting an association between obesity and cognitive dysfunction, this phenomenon has received relatively little attention. Neuroimaging studies in obese humans report reduced siz...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2015-12, Vol.112 (51), p.15731-15736
Main Authors: Bocarsly, Miriam E., Fasolino, Maria, Kane, Gary A., LaMarca, Elizabeth A., Kirschen, Gregory W., Karatsoreos, Ilia N., McEwen, Bruce S., Gould, Elizabeth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Anxiety - etiology
Biological Sciences
Brain
Cell Shape
Cognition Disorders - etiology
Cognitive ability
Dendrites - pathology
Disease Models, Animal
Male
Medical imaging
Mental health
Microglia - pathology
Morphology
Obesity
Obesity - complications
Obesity - pathology
Obesity - physiopathology
Prefrontal Cortex - pathology
Public health
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Synapses - chemistry
Synapses - physiology
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Summary:Obesity is a major public health problem affecting overall physical and emotional well-being. Despite compelling data suggesting an association between obesity and cognitive dysfunction, this phenomenon has received relatively little attention. Neuroimaging studies in obese humans report reduced size of brain regions involved in cognition, but few studies have investigated the cellular processes underlying cognitive decline in obesity or the influence of obesity on cognition in the absence of obesity-related illnesses. Here, a rat model of diet-induced obesity was used to explore changes in brain regions important for cognition. Obese rats showed deficits on cognitive tasks requiring the prefrontal and perirhinal cortex. Cognitive deficits were accompanied by decreased dendritic spine density and synaptic marker expression in both brain regions. Microglial morphology was also changed in the prefrontal cortex. Detrimental changes in the prefrontal cortex and perirhinal cortex occurred before metabolic syndrome or diabetes, suggesting that these brain regions may be particularly vulnerable to early stage obesity.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1511593112