Category
Basic
Description
The impact of maternal diet on offspring neurodevelopment is a relatively new field, and its areas of focus are vast. The field is predominantly studied and understood through the impacts of an unhealthy diet, the maternal Western diet (WD), but there is very little research on healthy diets like the maternal Mediterranean diet (MD). The general healthiness of the diet and some limited research support that this diet could have beneficial impacts on offspring. This research aims to explore the impacts of a maternal MD on adult offspring. We hypothesize that the maternal MD will enhancing cognitive performance in learning, memory, and executive domains. We expect that the enhanced cognitive performance will be associated with beneficial brain changes for this MD group, such as bolstered dendritic arborization and spine density and upregulated neuroplasticity-related genes. This research was conducted in a 4x2 design, assessing four different maternal diets (MD, WD, and two control diets) in both male and female subjects. The dams were fed one of the maternal diets a month prior to conception and throughout the perinatal period. Following weaning, offspring were separated by sex and matured until adulthood. The offspring were run through behavioral tests to assess cognitive performance. Following behavioral assessments, offspring were terminated and brain tissue was collected to assess brain morphology and gene expression. This research will provide valuable insight to the field by exploring a part of the field while providing medical professionals with a research-supported diet to recommend to their patients.
Offspring Cognitive and Neurobiological Outcomes Influenced by Maternal Dietary Patterns
Basic
The impact of maternal diet on offspring neurodevelopment is a relatively new field, and its areas of focus are vast. The field is predominantly studied and understood through the impacts of an unhealthy diet, the maternal Western diet (WD), but there is very little research on healthy diets like the maternal Mediterranean diet (MD). The general healthiness of the diet and some limited research support that this diet could have beneficial impacts on offspring. This research aims to explore the impacts of a maternal MD on adult offspring. We hypothesize that the maternal MD will enhancing cognitive performance in learning, memory, and executive domains. We expect that the enhanced cognitive performance will be associated with beneficial brain changes for this MD group, such as bolstered dendritic arborization and spine density and upregulated neuroplasticity-related genes. This research was conducted in a 4x2 design, assessing four different maternal diets (MD, WD, and two control diets) in both male and female subjects. The dams were fed one of the maternal diets a month prior to conception and throughout the perinatal period. Following weaning, offspring were separated by sex and matured until adulthood. The offspring were run through behavioral tests to assess cognitive performance. Following behavioral assessments, offspring were terminated and brain tissue was collected to assess brain morphology and gene expression. This research will provide valuable insight to the field by exploring a part of the field while providing medical professionals with a research-supported diet to recommend to their patients.
