Ruth Barrientos, PhD
Associate Professor
Primary Research Question addressed by Dr. Barrientos Lab:
The Barrientos laboratory focuses on the vulnerabilities of the normal aging brain that, when challenged, lead to long-lasting memory deficits. The lab has examined various triggers such as bacterial infection, surgery, and unhealthy diets that induce exaggerated and prolonged neuroinflammation in discrete regions of the aged brain that in turn cause precipitous memory declines. My lab has shown that feeding rats a diet high in saturated fat and a diet high in refined carbohydrates caused a tremendous neuroinflammatory response in the hippocampus and amygdala regions of the brain in aged rats, but not in young adult rats. This diet-induced neuroinflammatory response led to impaired long-term memory. We have also been exploring the neuroprotective role of DHA.
Areas of Expertise
- Behavioral Health
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Immunology
- Neuroscience
- Nutrition (biomedical and molecular)
Primary Research Tools and Method
- Animal Studies
- Cell Culture