Nutritional Neurosciences Seminar

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Date/Time:Thursday, 17 Apr 2014 at 9:30 am
Location:1951 Food Sciences Building
Cost:Free
Phone:515-294-9166
Channel:College of Human Sciences
Categories:Lectures
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"Insulin resistance, the brain and calorie restriction," Auriel Willette, Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute of Aging, Baltimore.

Summary:
Insulin resistance (IR) is a novel mechanism underlying cognitive deficits across the lifespan. IR also increases the risk for Alzheimer's disease. Recent work suggests that higher IR in middle-aged and aged adults predicts progressive brain atrophy and less glucose uptake in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, key areas first affected by AD. These associations respectively correspond to deficits in memory and executive function. Importantly, calorie restriction (CR) in aged rhesus monkeys lowers IR, reduces predicted atrophy in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, and reduces associated cognitive deficits. A critical area of growth is to examine how IR predicts brain activity using functional MRI (fMRI) in young and older participants with or without IR, and if short-term CR lowers IR and increases fMRI activity relative to baseline.