Topic: NF-kB pathway

Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most prevalent eating disorder. Binge episodes are characterized by the consumption of a large amount of high-calorie food in a short period, accompanied by a sense of loss of control. BED is associated with comorbidities such as obesity and mood disorders. Several studies suggest that neuroinflammation occurs in reward-related brain circuit following bingeing on food high in sugar. In addition, preclinical studies in rat highlight cognitive consequences of binge-sucrose intake, affecting both anxiety levels and memory performance, with inconsistent results.

A growing body of evidence emphasizes that hypometabolism taking place in astrocytes may compromise their physiological neuro-supportive role and activate a set of pathophysiological pathways contributing to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer disease (AD) [1]. Here, we explored the potential role of astrocytes in driving a cascade of detrimental effects in the neighboring neurons and investigated a possible approach to limit the injury in both cell types [2]. To this aim, primary rat cortical astrocytes were exposed to glyceraldehyde (GA) to induce a metabolic s