Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Reports
Abstract
Background:
Aerobic capacity is associated with metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurological health. Low-capacity runner (LCR) rats display low aerobic capacity, metabolic dysfuction, and spatial memory deficits. A heat treatment (HT) can improve metabolic dysfunction in LCR peripheral organs after high fat diet (HFD). Little is known about metabolic changes in the brains of these rats following HT.
Objective:
Our objective was to examine the extent to which high or low aerobic capacity impacts Akt (a protein marker of metabolism) and heat shock protein 72 (HSP72, a marker of heat shock response) after HFD and HT in hippocampus.
Methods:
We measured phosphorylated Akt (pAkt) in the striatum and hippocampus, and HSP72 in the hippocampus, of HFD-fed and chow-fed LCR and high-capacity runner (HCR) rats with and without HT.
Results:
pAkt was lower in the hippocampus of chow-fed LCR than HCR rats. HFD resulted in greater pAkt in LCR but not HCR rats, but HT resulted in lower pAkt in the LCR HFD group. HSP72 was greater in both HCR and LCR rat hippocampus after HT. The HFD blunted this effect in LCR compared to HCR hippocampus.
Conclusion:
The abnormal phosphorylation of Akt and diminished HSP response in the hippocampus of young adult LCR rats might indicate early vulnerability to metabolic challenges in this key brain region associated with learning and memory.
DOI
10.3233/ADR-200289
Publication Date
6-8-2021
Keywords
Acute high fat diet, Akt, heat treatment, intrinsic aerobic running capacity
ISSN
2542-4823
Recommended Citation
Gan L, Wan X, Ma D, Yang F, Zhu J, Rogers RS, Wheatley JL, Koch LG, Britton SL, Thyfault JP, Geiger PC, Stanford JA. Intrinsic Aerobic Capacity Affects Hippocampal pAkt and HSP72 Response to an Acute High Fat Diet and Heat Treatment in Rats. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Reports. 2021; 5(1). doi: 10.3233/ADR-200289.