The effect of a five-week cafeteria diet after weaning on the density of dendritic spines in the hippocampus and striatum of young rats

  Feeding with a cafeteria diet resulted in increased total body weight and obesity. This research aims to evaluate the effect of a cafeteria diet on the density of dendritic spines of hippocampal and striatum neurons from the end of infancy to the beginning of puberty.

 22-day-old male and female Wistar rats that passed through infancy were randomly divided into two control and cafeteria groups (n=6). The control group had access to standard rat food, but the cafeteria group received a cafeteria diet in addition to standard food for up to 30 days. During the treatment, the rats of both groups were weighed every week. After five weeks after the start of the treatments, the brains of the mice were extracted and prepared for Golgi staining by the Rapid Golgi method. 

 Our results showed that the body weight increased significantly in the cafeteria group compared to the control group (P<0/01). In addition, the results showed that the cafeteria diet significantly reduces the density of dendritic spines in the hippocampus (P<0/01) and striatum (P<0/05) compared to controls. 

 According to the results of the present study, the reduction of dendritic spines in the hippocampus and striatum, two important structures in cognitive behaviors, may cause memory and learning disorders observed in people consuming a high-fat diet.