Dietary Choline Protects Against Cognitive Decline After Surgery in Mice

Abstract

Perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PNDs) are a common complication following procedures such as orthopedic surgery. Using a mouse model of tibial fracture and repair surgery, we have previously shown an increase in neuroinflammation and hippocampal-dependent cognitive deficits. These changes were ameliorated with the addition of a cholinergic agonist. Here, we sought to examine the effects of a high-choline diet for 3 weeks prior to tibial fracture surgery. We evaluated memory using novel object recognition (NOR) as well as young neurons and glial cell morphology at 1 day and 2 weeks post-surgery. At both time points, tibial fracture impaired NOR performance, and dietary choline rescued these impairments. Astrocytic density and hilar granule cells increased 1 day after tibial fracture, and these increases were partially blunted by dietary choline. An increase in young neurons in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus was found 2 weeks after tibial fracture. This increase was partially blunted by choline supplementation. This suggests that shortly after tibial fracture, hippocampal reorganization is a possible mechanism for acute impaired memory. These findings together suggest that non-pharmaceutical approaches, such as pre-surgical dietary intervention with choline, may be able to prevent PNDs.

Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells ameliorate perioperative neurocognitive disorder by inhibiting inflammatory responses and activating BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling pathway in aged mice

“…The expression of DCX, a marker for immature neurons, can reflect the number of immature neurons [30]. Importantly, these neurons are under non-pathological conditions and can mature into "fully-grown" neurons [49]. Recent studies have shown that surgery could significantly reduce the number of neural stem cells and immature neurons, which is associated with PND [50][51][52].…”

Maternal diesel exposure and maternal choline supplementation interactions in fetal and placental immune factors

“…At confirmation of pregnancy, dams were assigned to one of two diet conditions ad libitum : a synthetic control chow (1.1 g/kg choline chloride in formula AIN-76A with choline chloride substituted for choline bitartrate, DYET #110098, Dyets, Inc., Bethlehem, PA, USA), or the same diet with 4.95 g/kg choline chloride (DYET #110210; based on previous findings from Alldred et al, 2021; Maurer et al, 2021; Meck et al, 1988; Meck & Williams, 1997; Mohler et al, 2001; Powers et al, 2021; Velazquez et al, 2013; 2020).…”