Effect of gestational diabetes on the hippocampus of offspring

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Nearly one-quarter of adults in Canada are considered to be extremely overweight, and the steady increase in obesity among Canadian children means that this number will continue to grow. While obesity can lead to a wide range of health problems, one of the most common, and most serious, is type 2 diabetes (T2D). As the number of people with T2D increases, there will be a matching rise in the number of women with diabetes during their pregnancies. Recent work over the last ten years has found that maternal nutrition can have longlasting effects upon the health of children; for example, maternal undernutrition can lead to an increased risk of heart disease in offspring when they become adults. The proposed study would like to examine how diabetes in pregnancy affects offspring development. In particular, the proposal will focus on development of a brain region known to be important for creating memories - the hippocampus. Female rats will be placed on a diet that, like the diets of many people, is very high in fat. Over time, the animals will develop T2D. After this, they will be mated and allowed to deliver and nurse their pups. Using a variety of techniques, structure and function of the hippocampus in offspring of diabetic rats at different ages will be compared to those from rats fed a control diet. All of the work together will help to answer the question: if a woman has diabetes during her pegnancy, will the areas of her child's brain important for learning and memory be affected? The outcome of the proposed study will not only be of interest to biologists, but should also be important to those involved with public health and policy.