By Mariana Haugh, Olivia Casey, Ayana Jefferson, Rogelio Santiago
Faculty mentor: Dr. Parrish Waters
10:00-10:50am, HCC 329
The western diet has led to extremely high rates of obesity and diabetes, which in addition to their metabolic effects, also have cognitive symptoms. To explore the effects of high sugar and high fat diets on behavior and brain activity, we conducted an experiment that examines the effect of these diets on brain physiology and cognitive function in mice. Laboratory mice were exposed to a high fat, high sugar, or control diet for 6 weeks and then performed the Lashley maze and novel object recognition task. We analyzed hippocampal tissue for BDNF, a brain protein that has a profound effect on memory. Although results were not significant, there was a noticeable effect of diet on memory.
