Article Review - Obesity and Neuroinflammation: A Pathway to Cognitive Impairment

Miller, A., & Spencer, S. (2014). Obesity and neuroinflammation: A pathway

to cognitive impairment.

Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 42, 10-21.

Article Review by Kristy Snyder Colling, Ph.D. and Robert Coben, Ph.D.

Article Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S088915911400088

This article reviews the evidence that obesity and high fat diets cause

inflammation in the brain that adversely affects many crucial functions:

Neuroinflammation affects cognition via inefficient cell signaling.

Inflammation is linked to abnormalities in myelination. Myelin sheaths wrap

around nerve cells and serve as a kind of insulation that facilitates the rapid

transmission of electric signals from cell to cell. When the myelination is

affected, nerve cells cannot communicate efficiently.

Neuroinflammation affects learning and memory. Inflammation alters

synaptic plasticity. Synaptic plasticity is the ability of neurons to form new

connections, which is crucial for learning. Inflammation has also been linked

to reduced hippocampus volume. As hippocampus volume decreases,

memory performance has been shown to decrease as well. Therefore, it

takes longer to learn new information and it is more likely that what is

learned will be forgotten.

Neuroinflammation affects essential regulatory systems. Inflammation is

associated with reduced hypothalamus volume. Reduced volume in the

hypothalamus affects stress management via the regulation of cortisol

levels. Indeed, there is evidence that obese people are more prone to

depression and stress-related mood disorders than their lean counterparts. In

addition, high cortisol levels impair executive functioning, such as impulse

control. When combined with the hypothalamus’ role in regulating hunger,

reduced hypothalamus volume leads to weight gain because people feel

more hungry more often and are less likely to control their impulses to eat

the high fat foods that cause the inflammation that reduces hypothalamus

volume, thus perpetuating the cycle.

While the evidence linking poor diet and obesity to poor brain functioning is

clear, the cycle need not continue to spiral in a negative direction. We at

Integrated Health Coaching located in Fayetteville, Arkansas and as part of our Head On program we can help you turn the process around by helping you to make better food choices and training your brain to better regulate itself and control unhealthy impulses.