Dementia from obesity
Obesity was associated with loss of cognitive abilities
Sergey Kolenov, Hi-tech+
Excess weight is the cause of many health problems, but it also reduces the level of intelligence. According to scientists, the reason for this lies in the abnormal activity of immune cells that begin to attack neurons.
According to experts, around 600 million people suffer from obesity worldwide. Being overweight not only increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, but also contributes to cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer's disease.
Until now, scientists have not been able to identify the mechanisms linking excess weight and loss of cognitive functions. A team of researchers managed to solve this riddle, about whose work he tells Science Daily.
An article by Cope et al. Microglia play an active role in obesity-associated cognitive decline published in The Journal of Neuroscience – VM.
Scientists conducted a study of laboratory mice that developed obesity against the background of malnutrition. It turned out that excess weight reduces the ability of rodents to solve problems that depend on the work of the hippocampus. In addition, the number of dendritic spines, which are necessary for communication between neurons, decreased in obese mice.
According to the researchers, this effect is associated with increased activity of immune cells of the central nervous system (microglia), which is caused by overweight. They managed to prove this hypothesis by blocking the activity of microglia using genetic and chemical techniques.
The results show that obesity causes immune cells to attack neurons, which negatively affects cognitive abilities.
According to scientists, the tendency to overweight is inherited. According to new data, children receive genes from the father that contribute to the accumulation of white adipose tissue, and from the mother – a mechanism to counteract obesity.
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