Neuroprotective Effects of the Ketogenic Diet in a Unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine Lesion Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease
Persistent URL
Author(s)
Anderson, Corey
Date Issued
April 30, 2012
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD), characterized by degeneration of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra, is a devastating neurological condition that impairs quality of life. Currently, there are no known cures for the condition and existing treatments are flawed in long-term applications and are often accompanied by severe motor side effects. The ketogenic diet (KD), a high-fat diet that has been used to manage intractable epilepsy for several decades, might be a potential protective measure in PD. The protection offered in epilepsy might also be offered in PD through elevation of serum levels of ketone bodies, specifically β-hydroxybutyrate. This study tested the effectiveness of the KD in reducing hemispheric preference reversal in a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion rat model of PD. Both male and female animals were fed either the KD or control diet for three weeks prior to receiving a unilateral lesion contralateral to their baseline preferred side, which was determined using the corridor task. The same task was used to determine the extent of preference reversal. Buffered Thionin Blue and Fluoro-Jade C stains were also employed to investigate the cellular effects of the diet. This study found insufficient evidence from either behavioral tests or histological analysis to support the hypothesis that the KD was effective in protecting dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra from 6-OHDA lesions. Furthermore, this study provides evidence that the ketogenic diet was associated with negative health effects when chronically administered including significant weight loss.
Honors
Neuroscience, 2012
Psychology, 2012
First Reader(s)
Hollerman, Jeffrey R.
Other Reader(s)
Conklin, Sarah M.
Department
Neuroscience
Type of Publication
Senior Project Paper
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Name
Anderson, Comp Final Version.pdf
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1.41 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
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