adolescent neurodevelopment

High-Fat Diet Consumption Induces Neurobehavioral Abnormalities and Neuronal Morphological Alterations Accompanied by Excessive Microglial Activation in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Adolescent Mice

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This study shows that eating a high-fat diet during the teenage years can harm brain development and mood in mice. The research found that high-fat diets led to anxiety and depression-like symptoms, along with shrinking brain structures and overactive immune cells in the brain. These findings suggest that teenagers should maintain healthy eating habits, as poor diet during adolescence may have long-lasting effects on mental health.

Cell adhesion presence during adolescence controls the architecture of projection-defined prefrontal cortical neurons and reward-related action strategies later in life

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During teenage years, the brain undergoes important structural changes that set the stage for adult decision-making abilities. This study found that a cell adhesion protein called β1-integrin plays a critical role during adolescence in stabilizing connections between brain cells in the prefrontal cortex. When this protein was missing during the teenage years, adult mice struggled to make good decisions about rewards and could not adjust their behavior when circumstances changed. The research suggests that proper brain development during adolescence requires these cellular adhesion molecules to build the neural circuits needed for intelligent decision-making later in life.

Research Topic: adolescent neurodevelopment

High-Fat Diet Consumption Induces Neurobehavioral Abnormalities and Neuronal Morphological Alterations Accompanied by Excessive Microglial Activation in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Adolescent Mice

Cell adhesion presence during adolescence controls the architecture of projection-defined prefrontal cortical neurons and reward-related action strategies later in life