Key points from article :
Visceral fat (VF) produces high level of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) cytokine.
It enters brain, causing microglia to become dysfunctional and harms cognition.
Protein NLRP3, component of VF, causes creation and release of IL-1β by fat cells.
Mice engineered to lack the NLRP3-producing gene, studied.
Resulting mice resistant to brain obesity-induced inflammation and cognitive problems.
Presence of IL-1β encouraged microglia to wrap around synapses.
Harm by gripping too tight or releasing neural interactions-disrupting molecules.
Cognitive effect assessed by ability to navigate water maze after 12-week high/low-fat diet.
Regular mice with high fat diet, VF transplant-recipient with NLRP3 navigated maze longer.
Mice with IL-1 receptor knocked out were able to navigate maze faster.
Next step is to understand why the location of VF causes such excessive inflammation.
Research by Medical College of Georgia, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
