Cross-Talk Between Obesity and Central Nervous System: Role in Cognitive Function

Abstract

Obesity is a health problem in western societies being usually associated with low-grade inflammation [1]. White adipose tissue (WAT) accumulation contribute to an increased risk of obese subjects develop several related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases [2-4]. Obesity is associated to mild cognitive impairment, and increased risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer ́s disease [5,6]. Obesity-induced neuroinflammation has shown to affect brain areas related to cognitive performance and memory, such as the hippocampus, and cortex [7,8]. The expanded hazard for obese subjects to develop a CNS pathology mirrors the connectivity of WAT to the cerebrum through different pathways to affect the mind work [4-6]. It is now well established that WAT is not just a fat storage organ, as it was considered for many years, but an endocrine organ that secretes different substances called adipokines, which play a role in cognitive function [6,9,10].