The metabolic regulator USF-1 is involved in the control of affective behaviour in mice.

Epidemiological studies indicate a bidirectional association between metabolic disturbances, including obesity and related pathological states, and mood disorders, most prominently major depression. However, the biological mechanisms mediating the comorbid relationship between the deranged metabolic and mood states remain incompletely understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the enhanced activation of brown fat tissue (BAT), known to beneficially regulate obesity and accompanying dysfunctional metabolic states, is also paralleled by an alteration of affective behaviour.

Uncoupling Protein-1 Modulates Anxiety-Like Behavior in a Temperature-Dependent Manner.

A strong bidirectional link between metabolic and psychiatric disorders exists; yet, the molecular basis underlying this interaction remains unresolved. Here we explored the role of the brown adipose tissue (BAT) as modulatory interface, focusing on the involvement of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1), a key metabolic regulator highly expressed in BAT, in the control of emotional behavior. Male and female constitutive UCP-1 knock-out (KO) mice were used to investigate the consequences of UCP-1 deficiency on anxiety-related and depression-related behaviors under mild thermogenic (23°C) and thermoneutral (29°C) conditions.

Unlocking the Memory Component of Alzheimer's Disease: Biological Processes and Pathways across Brain Regions.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive loss of memory and a general cognitive decline leading to dementia. AD is characterized by changes in the behavior of the genome and can be traced across multiple brain regions and cell types. It is mainly associated with β-amyloid deposits and tau protein misfolding, leading to neurofibrillary tangles.

Western diet-induced fear memory impairment is attenuated by 6-shogaol in C57BL/6N mice.

Dementia is a progressive cognitive diminution impeding with normal daily activities that is constantly on the increase. Currently, the estimated prevalence is 50 million affected people worldwide, a figure expected to triple within the next 30 years. While the pathophysiology of the different types of dementia is complex, likely involving the interplay between multiple genetic and environmental factors, strong evidence points towards an important link between diet and cognitive health.

Cognitive-Linguistic Performance and Quality of Life in Healthy Aging.

Background/aims: This study investigated quality of life (QoL) in relation to cognitive-linguistic performance and demographic characteristics (age, education and gender) in a large cohort of cognitively healthy older adults.

Method: A total of 578 Greek-Cypriots aged 60-91 years were recruited from the Neurocognitive Study on Aging. Of those, 395 healthy participants (171 males and 224 females) who met all study criteria were retained.