High-fat diet and probiotic supplementation do not induce cognitive dysfunction but modulate gene expression in the olfactory bulb of mice.

One of the elements driving the rapid increase in obesity is the obesogenic environment that encourages the consumption of high-fat diets (HFD). Studies show that rodents fed HFD have cognitive impairments, which are associated with changes in the expression of genes involved in synaptic plasticity and inflammation. Smell shapes food intake processes and changes in the olfactory system affect hedonic and food intake. Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that, when properly administered, bring benefits to the health of the host, as they modulate the composition of the intestinal microbiota. As such, they can be used as an additional treatment for cognitive impairment and other metabolic changes in HFD-treated mice.