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Essay: Microglial priming and activation as the link between overfeeding-induced obesity and neurodegenerative diseases
More than a couple studies have found a correlation between mid-life obesity and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Overfeeding is known to cause peripheral inflammation leading to the development of the metabolic syndrome. Signals of peripheral inflammation are capable of transferring into the central nervous system, where they interact with microglia by acting on receptors like TLRs, RAGE, NLRP3 and cytokine receptors. Stimulation of microglia leads to either activation or priming of these cells. Primed microglia show an exaggerated response to secondary stimulation. Neuroinflammation is one of the key processes in neurodegeneration. Amyloid β (in Alzheimer’s diseases) or α-synuclein (in Parkinson’s disease) can also interact with microglia through the same receptors as signs of peripheral inflammation do, leading to microglial priming or activation. Microglial activation due to obesity-induced peripheral inflammation has adverse effects on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, especially due to the release of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.