Effects of a saturated fat and high cholesterol diet on memory and hippocampal morphology in the middle-aged rat.
Diets rich in cholesterol and/or saturated fats have been shown to be detrimental to cognitive performance. Therefore, we fed a cholesterol (2%) and saturated fat (hydrogenated coconut oil, Sat Fat 10%) diet to 16-month old rats for 8 weeks to explore the effects on the working memory performance of middle-aged rats. Lipid profiles revealed elevated plasma triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL for the Sat-Fat group as compared to an iso-caloric control diet (12% soybean oil). Weight gain and food consumption were similar in both groups. Sat-Fat treated rats committed more working memory errors in the water radial arm maze, especially at higher memory loads. Cholesterol, amyloid-beta peptide of 40 (Abeta40) or 42 (Abeta42) residues, and nerve growth factor in cortical regions was unaffected, but hippocampal Map-2 staining was reduced in rats fed a Sat-Fat diet, indicating a loss of dendritic integrity. Map-2 reduction correlated with memory errors. Microglial activation, indicating inflammation and/or gliosis, was also observed in the hippocampus of Sat-Fat fed rats. These data suggest that saturated fat, hydrogenated fat and cholesterol can profoundly impair memory and hippocampal morphology.
Department of Neurosciences and the Center on Aging, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. granholm@musc.edu
Ann-Charlotte
AC
Granholm
Heather A
HA
Bimonte-Nelson
Alfred B
AB
Moore
Matthew E
ME
Nelson
Linnea R
LR
Freeman
Kumar
K
Sambamurti
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D000074263:Coconut Oil; D003463:Cues; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D018715:Microscopy, Video; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000009:adverse effects; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010938:Plant Oils; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol; D000074263:Coconut Oil