How does diet and metabolism affect the functioning of the brain?​

Full project title: How does diet and metabolism affect the functioning of the brain?

Duration: Ongoing

Project lead for CBR: Dr Tim J Craig

Other UWE Bristol researcher: Dr Lucy Crompton

Research partner/collaborator: Dr Kevin Wilkinson (University of Bristol)

Funders:

• Alzheimer's Research UK
• UWE Bristol
• Bristol Fungarium

The brain is the most energetic organ in the human body (using 20% of total energy at rest), however the role of brain metabolism in neuronal function has been historically poorly explored. There is abundant evidence that diet and lifestyle profoundly affect brain function; most notably, type-2 diabetes, which is heavily linked to diet and lifestyle, is the most significant non-genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. However, the reasons for this, and the mechanisms for how diet influences brain function, are poorly understood. 

The overriding theme of our research is to understand this link. Recently, we have demonstrated that fatty acids, which are raised in type-2 diabetes, disrupt the formation of new neurones in the brain, a defect which is also known to occur in Alzheimer’s disease. We also have parallel projects investigating how dietary factors affect development of Parkinson’s disease. All our work uses human cells models to attempt to discern the precise molecular mechanisms behind these effects. 

Additionally, we have a project co-funded by the Bristol Fungarium to investigate the molecular and cellular effects of medicinal mushroom extracts on neurones. These extracts (e.g. Lion’s Mane, Reishi) are becoming increasingly popular as food supplements, with abundant anecdotal evidence for their efficacy. Our project seeks to rigorously investigate this at a molecular and cellular level and to isolate any potentially therapeutic compounds.

• Targett, I. L., Hancock, J. T., & Craig, T. J. (2026). Diet, metabolism and synaptic function: Integrating evidence across models in neurodegeneration research. Biomedicines, 14(5), 1089.
• Papapanagiotou, O., Cotton, K., Edwards, C., Michod, D., Crompton, L., Craig, T.J., Niklison-Chirou, M.V. (2026). Lipid droplets in neurodegenerative diseases: pathological drivers and therapeutic vulnerabilities. Review Cell Death Discovery. 2026 Apr 9.
• Targett, I. L., Pring, K., Martinez Valiente, A., Qualtrough, D., Conway, M. E., Crompton, L. A., & Craig, T.J. (2025). Chronic fatty acid exposure disrupts SH-SY5Y and neuronal differentiation, and is a potential link between Type-2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Molecular Neurobiology 63(1):183.
• Targett I.L., Crompton L.A., Conway M.E., Craig T.J. (2024). Differentiation of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells using retinoic acid and BDNF: a model for neuronal and synaptic differentiation in neurodegeneration. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology - Animal, 2024 60(9):1058-1067.

For further information about the project, please contact Dr Tim Craig (tim.craig@uwe.ac.uk).