Mediterranean Diet Protects Against a Neuroinflammatory Cortical Transcriptome: Associations with Brain Volumetrics, Peripheral Inflammation, Social Isolation and Anxiety.

Mediterranean diets may be neuroprotective and prevent cognitive decline relative to Western diets, however the underlying biology is poorly understood. We assessed the effects of Western vs. Mediterranean-like diets on RNAseq generated transcriptional profiles in temporal cortex and their relationships with changes in MRI neuroimaging phenotypes, circulating monocyte gene expression, and observations of social isolation and anxiety in 38 socially-housed, middle-aged female cynomolgus macaques. Diet resulted in differential expression of seven transcripts (FDR<0.05). Cyclin dependent kinase 14 ( Collectively, our results suggest that relative to Western diets, Mediterranean diets confer protection against peripheral and central inflammation which is reflected in preserved brain structure and behavior.