Exercise and the Brain: Fight Against Juvenile Obesity

描述（由申请人提供）：肥胖的流行已经达到流行病的程度，并与严重的健康风险有关。为了开发出适当的肥胖治疗方法，首先必须了解肥胖是如何发展的，涉及哪些神经和生理基础，以及外部因素如何影响它。本研究的目的是利用饮食诱导的肥胖大鼠模型来评估运动在肥胖发展关键期的神经和生理影响。具体来说，这些研究将评估幼鼠在高脂肪饮食和自由进入跑步轮时食物摄入、体重和体重防御的变化，这些方面的能量平衡将被追踪到成年。这个模型将模仿食用高脂肪饮食并参加定期活动的儿童的肥胖发病情况。此外，这些研究将集中在已知的饮食诱导大鼠的神经缺陷以及运动如何有助于逆转这些缺陷。这些研究的总体目标是了解运动如何影响能量稳态，以及运动如何治疗人类肥胖。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The prevalence of obesity has grown to epidemic proportions and has been linked to severe health risks. In order for adequate treatments for obesity to be developed it must first be understood how obesity develops, what neural and physiological substrates are involved, and how external factors can influence it. The purpose of these studies is to use the diet-induced rat model of obesity to assess the neurological and physiological effects of exercise during the critical juvenile period of obesity development. Specifically, these studies will assess changes in food intake, body weight, and defense of body weight when juvenile rats are placed on a high fat diet and given free access to a running wheel and these aspects of energy homeostasis will be tracked through to adulthood. This model will mimic the onset of obesity in children who consume a high fat diet and participate in regular activity. In addition, these studies will focus on known neurological deficits in diet-induced rats and how exercise may serve to reverse these. The overall aim of these studies is to understand how exercise influences energy homeostasis and how exercise may serve to treat human obesity.