Does diet‐induced obesity exacerbate Alzheimer’s dementia?

A high body mass index (a clinical measure of adiposity) at mid‐life is an acknowledged risk factor for Alzheimer’s dementia (AD). Potential mechanisms linking adiposity to AD include peripheral hyperinsulinemia altering brain insulin levels, the generation of advanced glycosylation end products which causes end organ damage and cerebrovascular dysfunction and disease. The aim of this project is to investigate if dietary fats alter the development of AD pathology and the associated cognitive and memory deficits in mouse models of AD. Additionally, we also aim to investigate if the AD phenotype alters peripheral glucose clearance and the development of insulin‐resistance in response to a high fat diet. Our hypothesis is that a high fat diet exacerbates AD pathology (amyloid plaques and cerebral amyloid angiopathy) and memory dysfunction resulting in a less favourable outcome than mice on a normal diet.