Behavioral and Cognitive Consequences of Obesity in Parents and Offspring in Female and Male Rats: Implications of Neuroinflammation and Neuromodulation

Obesity is a rapidly growing public health concern that can create a family-wise burden. This study was aimed to investigate behavioral, cognitive, neuroinflammatory, and neuromodulatory consequences of the diet and parental obesity. Female and male Wistar albino rats were fed on either an obesogenic or standard diet for 12 weeks, beginning with weaning. Thereafter, the animals were matched and allowed to mate. Pups born to obese or normal parents received either the diet or standard chow to the same age. The obesogenic diet and/or parental obesity increased the locomotor activity in both females and males. The diet exhibited anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like properties, and impaired short-term object memory as well as spatial memory. Interestingly, the obesogenic diet resulted in neuroinflammation only in naive animals, but not in the ones with parental obesity. BDNF, SIRT1, and p53 expressions were decreased, whereas RelN expression was increased in the brain with the diet, regardless of parental obesity. Multi-factor analyses demonstrated that the obesogenic diet is the prominent influencer of cognitive, neuroinflammatory, and neuromodulatory results while parental obesity has an effect on spatial memory, neuroinflammation, and hippocampal RelN and p53 expressions. Here, we provided supporting evidence for detrimental cognitive and neuroinflammatory consequences of early life consumption of the obesogenic diet which accompanies alterations in neuromodulatory factors. Surprisingly, the diet was found beneficial against anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors, and additionally, parental obesity was demonstrated to impair some aspects of cognitive performance which appears unrelated to neuroinflammation.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effects of an obesogenic diet and parental obesity on behavior, cognition, neuroinflammation, and neuromodulation. The results showed that the obesogenic diet increased locomotor activity, had anxiolytic and antidepressant effects, but impaired short-term and spatial memory. Parental obesity had an effect on spatial memory, neuroinflammation, and specific gene expression.