title: A high fat diet alters metabolic and bioenergetic function in the brain: A magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.
abstract: Diet-induced obesity and associated metabolic effects can lead to neurological dysfunction and increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite these risks, the effects of a high-fat diet on the central nervous system are not well understood. To better understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of high fat consumption on brain regions affected by AD and PD, we used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) to measure neurochemicals in the hippocampus and striatum of rats fed a high fat diet vs. normal low fat chow. We detected lower concentrations of total creatine (tCr) and a lower glutamate-to-glutamine ratio in the hippocampus of high fat rats. Additional effects observed in the hippocampus of high fat rats included higher N-acetylaspartylglutamic acid (NAAG), and lower myo-inositol (mIns) and serine (Ser) concentrations. Post-mortem tissue analyses revealed lower phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK) in the striatum but not in the hippocampus of high fat rats. Hippocampal pAMPK levels correlated significantly with tCr, aspartate (Asp), phosphoethanolamine (PE), and taurine (Tau), indicating beneficial effects of AMPK activation on brain metabolic and energetic function, membrane turnover, and edema. A negative correlation between pAMPK and glucose (Glc) indicates a detrimental effect of brain Glc on cellular energy response. Overall, these changes indicate alterations in neurotransmission and in metabolic and bioenergetic function in the hippocampus and in the striatum of rats fed a high fat diet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors.forename: Kayla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Raider
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors.forename: Delin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors.forename: Janna L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wheatley
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors.forename: Paige C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Geiger
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors.forename: Hung-Wen
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors.forename: In-Young
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; Kansas Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA; Kansas Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA. Electronic address: jstanford@kumc.edu.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Stanford
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism*; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344
keywords: Brain metabolism; Diet-induced obesity; High-fat; Imaging; Magnetic resonance spectroscopy