New research shows that obesity and insulin resistance can break down the protective blood-brain barrier, resulting in problems with learning and memory.
Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University discovered this phenomenon by using mice to mimic what can happen in the human body. The mice were fed a high-fat diet and after 16 weeks had increases in fasting glucose and insulin concentrations, precursors to diabetes.
Researchers found that adenosine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that helps with sleep and regulating blood pressure, activates receptors Adora1a and Adora2a on the cells that line the blood-brain barrier — endothelial cells. These receptors normally support healthy relationships between brain activity and blood flow. However, problems occur with chronic activation, typical of those with obesity, the study published in The Journal of Neuroscience said.
Obesity was found to increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to allow tiny molecules to flow through. Diet-induced insulin resistance further heightened that permeability to allow even larger molecules to enter the hippocampus.
From the June 6, 2019 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
