Feeding the Brain: Effect of Nutrients on Cognition, Synaptic Function, and AMPA Receptors
In recent decades, traditional eating habits have been replaced by a more globalized diet, rich in saturated fatty acids and simple sugars. Extensive evidence shows that these dietary factors contribute to cognitive health impairment as well as increase the incidence of metabolic diseases such as ob...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/19/4137 |
| _version_ | 1797477512919384064 |
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| author | Rut Fadó Anna Molins Rocío Rojas Núria Casals |
| author_facet | Rut Fadó Anna Molins Rocío Rojas Núria Casals |
| author_sort | Rut Fadó |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent decades, traditional eating habits have been replaced by a more globalized diet, rich in saturated fatty acids and simple sugars. Extensive evidence shows that these dietary factors contribute to cognitive health impairment as well as increase the incidence of metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. However, how these nutrients modulate synaptic function and neuroplasticity is poorly understood. We review the Western, ketogenic, and paleolithic diets for their effects on cognition and correlations with synaptic changes, focusing mainly (but not exclusively) on animal model studies aimed at tracing molecular alterations that may contribute to impaired human cognition. We observe that memory and learning deficits mediated by high-fat/high-sugar diets, even over short exposure times, are associated with reduced arborization, widened synaptic cleft, narrowed post-synaptic zone, and decreased activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, and also observe that these alterations correlate with deregulation of the AMPA-type glutamate ionotropic receptors (AMPARs) that are crucial to neuroplasticity. Furthermore, we explored which diet-mediated mechanisms modulate synaptic AMPARs and whether certain supplements or nutritional interventions could reverse deleterious effects, contributing to improved learning and memory in older people and patients with Alzheimer’s disease. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:18:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4190c14eb6184797b2367e720588570a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:18:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-4190c14eb6184797b2367e720588570a2023-11-23T21:26:15ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432022-10-011419413710.3390/nu14194137Feeding the Brain: Effect of Nutrients on Cognition, Synaptic Function, and AMPA ReceptorsRut Fadó0Anna Molins1Rocío Rojas2Núria Casals3Basic Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, E-08195 Sant Cugat del Vallès, SpainBasic Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, E-08195 Sant Cugat del Vallès, SpainBasic Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, E-08195 Sant Cugat del Vallès, SpainBasic Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, E-08195 Sant Cugat del Vallès, SpainIn recent decades, traditional eating habits have been replaced by a more globalized diet, rich in saturated fatty acids and simple sugars. Extensive evidence shows that these dietary factors contribute to cognitive health impairment as well as increase the incidence of metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. However, how these nutrients modulate synaptic function and neuroplasticity is poorly understood. We review the Western, ketogenic, and paleolithic diets for their effects on cognition and correlations with synaptic changes, focusing mainly (but not exclusively) on animal model studies aimed at tracing molecular alterations that may contribute to impaired human cognition. We observe that memory and learning deficits mediated by high-fat/high-sugar diets, even over short exposure times, are associated with reduced arborization, widened synaptic cleft, narrowed post-synaptic zone, and decreased activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, and also observe that these alterations correlate with deregulation of the AMPA-type glutamate ionotropic receptors (AMPARs) that are crucial to neuroplasticity. Furthermore, we explored which diet-mediated mechanisms modulate synaptic AMPARs and whether certain supplements or nutritional interventions could reverse deleterious effects, contributing to improved learning and memory in older people and patients with Alzheimer’s disease.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/19/4137dietcognitionmemorylearninghippocampussynaptic function |
| spellingShingle | Rut Fadó Anna Molins Rocío Rojas Núria Casals Feeding the Brain: Effect of Nutrients on Cognition, Synaptic Function, and AMPA Receptors Nutrients diet cognition memory learning hippocampus synaptic function |
| title | Feeding the Brain: Effect of Nutrients on Cognition, Synaptic Function, and AMPA Receptors |
| title_full | Feeding the Brain: Effect of Nutrients on Cognition, Synaptic Function, and AMPA Receptors |
| title_fullStr | Feeding the Brain: Effect of Nutrients on Cognition, Synaptic Function, and AMPA Receptors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Feeding the Brain: Effect of Nutrients on Cognition, Synaptic Function, and AMPA Receptors |
| title_short | Feeding the Brain: Effect of Nutrients on Cognition, Synaptic Function, and AMPA Receptors |
| title_sort | feeding the brain effect of nutrients on cognition synaptic function and ampa receptors |
| topic | diet cognition memory learning hippocampus synaptic function |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/19/4137 |
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