A study on adolescent rats suggests that a diet high in fat and sugar impacts memory over time. This research strengthens the important connection between the gut and the brain.
Previous research has shown a link between poor diet and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) wanted to clarify the relationship between diet and memory, particularly during adolescence when the brain is developing. “ Some things that are easier reversiblereversible in adulthood are less so when they occur during childhood said Scott Kanoski, professor of biological sciences at USC.
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According to the results of the study, rats fed junk food during adolescence – a diet high in fats and sugars – showed memory problems that did not disappear despite the introduction of a healthy diet by the following. Subjected to object memory tests, rats that ate a Western diet showed signs of inability to remember them unlike rats in the control group.
A dysregulation of acetylcholine signaling
The researchers also tracked the acetylcholine levels of both groups, a neurotransmitterneurotransmitter which plays a crucial role in memory. They examined the rats’ brains post-mortem for signs of neurotransmitter disruption. Animals that grew up with junk foodjunk food showed impaired acetylcholine signaling in theseahorseseahorsea signal that allows us to remember events.
Drugs that induce the release of acetylcholine could reverse the trend according to preliminary tests. These treatments administered directly into the hippocampus restored the rats’ memorization abilities.
