Obesity impairs mental performance. Free Technical Library News

NEWS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, NOVELTY IN ELECTRONICS
Free technical library / timeline

Obesity impairs mental ability

20.09.2018

Overweight is not only a problem with metabolism, with the heart and blood vessels, it is also a problem with the brain. Obese people are known to have reduced mental capacity and are more likely to develop dementia and other brain-related disorders as they age.

Animal experiments have shown that microglial cells, which perform immune functions in the brain, protect nervous tissue from infections and cleanse it of unnecessary and dangerous molecular cellular debris, should be blamed here.
It turned out that during obesity, microglial cells eat so-called dendritic spines on neurons - special protrusions on the cell membrane, where the process-dendrite is ready to form a connection-synapse with another neuron.

Thus, microglia reduces the number of potential interneuronal contacts, and, consequently, the number of potential neural circuits. And as we know, cognitive functions - memory, learning ability, etc. - directly depend on the ability of nerve cells to form synapses.

Researchers at Princeton University have shown that preventing microglia from biting on dendritic outgrowths can improve cognitive function despite being obese. Eliza Cope (Elise Cope) and her colleagues suppressed the activity of microglial cells in various ways: either with special substances, or with the help of genetic modification, when the gene encoding the receptor was turned off in microglial cells, with which microglia look for dendrites to eat.

The obese mice that were treated with all this performed normally on memory tests, while the obese mice, in which microglia were not suppressed, deteriorated in memory. The authors of the work emphasize that microglia harmed the brain, regardless of what food the mice got fat on - the overweight itself was important. Obviously, some peculiarities of metabolism in an obese organism cause microglial cells to show unnecessary activity, and in the future it remains to be understood what exactly irritates microglia in obesity.

<< Back: The brain has a built-in noise reduction system 21.09.2018

>> Forward: A flexible smartphone can replace a computer 20.09.2018

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

The existence of an entropy rule for quantum entanglement has been proven 09.05.2024

Quantum mechanics continues to amaze us with its mysterious phenomena and unexpected discoveries. Recently, Bartosz Regula from the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing and Ludovico Lamy from the University of Amsterdam presented a new discovery that concerns quantum entanglement and its relation to entropy. Quantum entanglement plays an important role in modern quantum information science and technology. However, the complexity of its structure makes understanding and managing it challenging. Regulus and Lamy's discovery shows that quantum entanglement follows an entropy rule similar to that for classical systems. This discovery opens new perspectives in the field of quantum information science and technology, deepening our understanding of quantum entanglement and its connection to thermodynamics. The results of the study indicate the possibility of reversibility of entanglement transformations, which could greatly simplify their use in various quantum technologies. Opening a new rule ... >>

Mini air conditioner Sony Reon Pocket 5 09.05.2024

Summer is a time for relaxation and travel, but often the heat can turn this time into an unbearable torment. Meet a new product from Sony - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-air conditioner, which promises to make summer more comfortable for its users. Sony has introduced a unique device - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-conditioner, which provides body cooling on hot days. With it, users can enjoy coolness anytime, anywhere by simply wearing it around their neck. This mini air conditioner is equipped with automatic adjustment of operating modes, as well as temperature and humidity sensors. Thanks to innovative technologies, Reon Pocket 5 adjusts its operation depending on the user's activity and environmental conditions. Users can easily adjust the temperature using a dedicated mobile app connected via Bluetooth. Additionally, specially designed T-shirts and shorts are available for convenience, to which a mini air conditioner can be attached. The device can oh ... >>

Energy from space for Starship 08.05.2024

Producing solar energy in space is becoming more feasible with the advent of new technologies and the development of space programs. The head of the startup Virtus Solis shared his vision of using SpaceX's Starship to create orbital power plants capable of powering the Earth. Startup Virtus Solis has unveiled an ambitious project to create orbital power plants using SpaceX's Starship. This idea could significantly change the field of solar energy production, making it more accessible and cheaper. The core of the startup's plan is to reduce the cost of launching satellites into space using Starship. This technological breakthrough is expected to make solar energy production in space more competitive with traditional energy sources. Virtual Solis plans to build large photovoltaic panels in orbit, using Starship to deliver the necessary equipment. However, one of the key challenges ... >>

New method for creating powerful batteries 08.05.2024

With the development of technology and the expanding use of electronics, the issue of creating efficient and safe energy sources is becoming increasingly urgent. Researchers at the University of Queensland have unveiled a new approach to creating high-power zinc-based batteries that could change the landscape of the energy industry. One of the main problems with traditional water-based rechargeable batteries was their low voltage, which limited their use in modern devices. But thanks to a new method developed by scientists, this drawback has been successfully overcome. As part of their research, scientists turned to a special organic compound - catechol. It turned out to be an important component that can improve battery stability and increase its efficiency. This approach has led to a significant increase in the voltage of zinc-ion batteries, making them more competitive. According to scientists, such batteries have several advantages. They have b ... >>

Alcohol content of warm beer 07.05.2024

Beer, as one of the most common alcoholic drinks, has its own unique taste, which can change depending on the temperature of consumption. A new study by an international team of scientists has found that beer temperature has a significant impact on the perception of alcoholic taste. The study, led by materials scientist Lei Jiang, found that at different temperatures, ethanol and water molecules form different types of clusters, which affects the perception of alcoholic taste. At low temperatures, more pyramid-like clusters form, which reduces the pungency of the "ethanol" taste and makes the drink taste less alcoholic. On the contrary, as the temperature increases, the clusters become more chain-like, resulting in a more pronounced alcoholic taste. This explains why the taste of some alcoholic drinks, such as baijiu, can change depending on temperature. The data obtained opens up new prospects for beverage manufacturers, ... >>

Random news from the Archive

Cement at room temperature 20.07.2016

Cement is truly a colossus among other building materials. According to the latest available data, in 2013 the world produced 4 billion tons of it, and each ton produced 900 kg of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The latter circumstance, as well as the large amount of energy used in the production of cement for sintering clinker - a mixture of limestone and clay - up to 1450 ° C, forced the French scientists Julien Blanchard and David Hoffman to look for other ways to obtain the material.

They created a new material based on clay that has been transformed by alkali metal molecular reactions (one of which, by the way, is appropriately called francium Fr, since it was discovered by an employee of the Radium Institute in Paris.) These reagents turn clay powder into a solid substance when room temperature. In addition to energy savings, the new process emits only 50-100 kg of CO2 per tonne of material into the atmosphere.

Unlike the traditional method, the new material can be obtained from used cement, which is currently practically not recycled.

See full Archive of science and technology news, new electronics

All languages of this page

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews