EFFETTO dei NUTRIENTI sulle FUNZIONI CEREBRALI
Raffaella Molteni
Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari
Università degli Studi di Milano
Como, 23 Aprile 2015
Food: consumer life goals
Give
Children
a Good
Start
Be free from
Health
Problems
Be healthy
for longer
Mens sana in corpore sano
MAINTAINING EMOTIONAL WELLBEING
IMPROVING BRAIN FUNCTIONS
Brain boosters: Foods for brain health
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Avocados
Bananas
Brewer's yeast
Broccoli
Brown rice
Brussel sprouts
Cantaloupe
Flaxseed oil
Greens
Legumes
Oatmeal
Oranges
Peas
Potatoes
Romaine lettuce
Soybeans
Spinach
Walnuts
Wheat germ
Brain “drainers”
Alcohol
Artificial food colorings
Artificial sweeteners
Colas
Corn syrup
Frostings
High-sugar "drinks"
Hydrogenated fats
Junk sugars
White bread
IS IT TRUE ?
YES
TOPICS
• Does diet affect brain function?
• Which are the molecular mechanism
underlying?
Does diet affect brain function?
Diet composition
LF diet
HFS diet
Energy as carbohydrate, %
Energy as fat, %
Energy as protein, %
58.81
12.14
28.05
40.12
39.09
20.72
Fiber, g/100 g
Sucrose, g/100 g
Cholesterol, %
Saturated fat, %
Monosaturated fat, %
Polynsaturated fat, %
Physiological energy, kJ/g
5.3
3.68
0.02
1.5
1.58
0.71
13.97
1.6
45.10
0.0175
7.91
8.22
3.04
19.63
Impact of diet on spatial learning
HF diet affects spatial learning performance
Molteni R. et al., 2002
Exercise normalizes
the behavioral effect of the HF diet
LFCC
17.5
HFS
Latency (sec)
15
LFCC/Ex
HFS/Ex
12.5
10
7.5
5
2.5
1
2
1 mese
3
1
2
2 mesi
3
Diet period
Molteni R. et al., 2004
Which are the molecular mechanisms underlying?
BDNF
proteinlevels (% of LF diet)
Diet
mRNAlevels (% of LF diet)
Hippocampus
Molteni R. et al., 2002
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
BDNF
Trophic factor
Marker of
Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity
Neuronal plasticity represents an index of brain function and of its ability to
cope under challenging conditions.
The term neuronal plasticity encapsulates changes in signaling cascades,
gene regulation, dendritic remodeling and, in some areas, generation of
new neurons.
Neurogenesis
Dendritic spine formation
BDNF
‘Positive’ environmental conditions can
modulate BDNF expression in the rat brain
• BDNF expression is increased by:
– Learning
– Environmental enrichment
– Maternal care
– Physical exercise
Exercise
Sedentary
Protective effects
on brain function
BDNF (% of Controls)
Exercise normalizes
the molecular effect of the HF diet
#
200
*
*
150
100
50
0
*
CTRL Ex HF dietE+H
Molteni R. et al., 2004
a HFS diet may increase susceptibility
of the brain to insults?
Wu A. et al., 2003
Effects of diet and FPI on spatial learning and
memory retention
Which are the mechanisms involved?
Measurment of oxidized protein levels
Effects on “neuroplastic”molecules
Is a specific nutrient involved?
Measurment of oxidized protein levels
Fuel the brain
Food is like
a pharmaceutical compound
that affects the brain
Diet has the potential to alter our brain health
and mental function
Changes in diet are a viable strategy for enhancing cognitive
abilities, protecting the brain from damage
and counteracting the effects of aging
Thanks…
“Neurolife” Lab. UCLA
Fernando Gomez-Pinilla
Lab. di Psicofarmacologia e Psichiatria
Molecolare,
Dip. di Scienze. Farmacologiche e
Molecolari, Università degli Studi di
Milano
Giorgio Racagni
Marco Andrea Riva
Fabio Fumagalli
Francesca Calabrese
Lucia Caffino
Annamaria Cattaneo
Alessia Luoni
Giuseppe Giannotti
Andrea C. Rossetti
Veronica Begni
Chiara Malpighi
Maria Serena Paladini