Maternal obesity-induced hyperactivity in the hippocampus: Adverse impacts on long term brain function

Maternal overweight has increased globally. Evidence suggests that children gestated in an obesogenic environment are at increased risk of neurodevelopmental problems and cognitive impairment later in life. Rat dams were placed either on high-fat high-sugar diet or on normal diet before mating. The offspring were tested when they were adults. We found reduced cognitive capacity and brain hyperactivity. This was associated with reduced inhibitory nerves in the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in memory and emotion. These results shed explanatory insights on observations in children of obese mothers, in which the occurrence of childhood seizures is enhanced.