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Is Obesity the Cause of Your Cognitive Decline?

            Obesity has become a prevalent issue in the past decades across the United States, and it is associated with an abundance of health conditions.  Patients who are overweight are at an increased risk of high blood pressure, Type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and liver disease, among many others.  New research published in the Journal of Neuroscience may have just added to this list of problems for obese patients. Cope and her team of researchers recognized the negative effects of obesity on cognition and sought to investigate the cellular mechanisms behind this complex issue.  

            The study published in the Journal of Neuroscience in September 2018 describes the findings on diet-induced obese mice.  Using three different methods, the researchers were able to determine that microglia activation was a major cause of cognitive decline in the obese mice.  Microglia act as immune cells in the body’s central nervous system, protecting the brain and spinal cord from infectious foreign bodies and removing damaged neurons.  In the diet-induced obese mice, the microglia activation led to dendritic spine damage; the microglia attacked the dendrites in the obese mice brains, causing a cognitive decline.  The researchers used three methods to block microglia activation to determine whether a decrease in microglia presence would prevent dendrite loss and subsequent cognitive decline. It was discovered that by blocking microglia activation genetically and pharmacologically, the mice did not display dendritic spine damage or cognitive decline.  Preventing the activation of microglia also prevented both dendrite damage and cognitive problems.

            Although the cause of microglia activation in obese mice was undetermined, this research makes an important connection between obesity and the cause of cognitive decline.  Microglia activation in obese mice caused dendritic spine damage and led to cognition and memory problems. While the study cannot be directly applied from mouse brains to human brains, the research is a step toward discovering therapeutic techniques for overweight and obese human patients.  If microglia activation can be controlled pharmacologically, it may be possible to prevent cognitive decline and decrease the risk of developing dementia or other brain-related diseases later in life. 

Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States, and it is essential that our research focuses on controlling and preventing the many associated health conditions.  Cope and her team were able to determine the cellular mechanism behind the cognitive decline of the obese mice. Dr. Gavini presented his research regarding the differences in metabolic flexibility and how it ties to obesity, and Dr. Beshel presented her work on the obesity-linked behaviors in flies.  The work is integral to our understanding of the underlying causes and mechanisms of obesity and will lead us toward treatment for those suffering with the disease. With the knowledge from researchers like Cope, Gavini, and Beshel, we are closer to effectively treating patients with obesity and preventing the effects of associated health conditions.

Works Cited:

Cope, Elise C., et al. "Microglia Play an Active Role in Obesity-Associated Cognitive Decline." Journal of Neuroscience, Society for Neuroscience, 10 Sept. 2018, 

www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2018/09/10/JNEUROSCI.0789-18.2018.

Kwon, Diana.  "Microglia Cause Cognitive Decline in Obese Mice." The Scientist Magazine, The Scientist Magazine, 10 Sept. 2018, www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/microglia-cause-cognitive-decline-in-obese-mice-64771.