Long term Westernized diet leads to region-specific changes in brain signaling mechanisms (animal)

The prevalence of obesity and the easy availability of attractive energy-dense meals highlight the urgent need for a deeper comprehension of the brain circuits that control hedonic eating (i,e., consuming food for the sole purpose of pleasure in the absence of dietary need or necessity). Both the body’s homeostatic requirements and the food’s hedonic values […]

Intermittent access to palatable foods may promote compulsive eating, cognitive impairments and reduced hippocampal plasticity, but this 2020 preclinical study explores its effects on hippocampal function and neurogenesis. The male Wistar rats were fed either chow for 7 days/week (named the Chow/Chow group) or fed chow intermittently for 5 days/week with the remaining 2 days […]