# Hidden danger of excess salt for the brain revealed

Long-term consumption of food high in salt can impair brain function, disrupting memory, learning, and increasing anxious behavior. Scientists from Xi'an Jiaotong University came to this conclusion. The research results were published in the European Journal of Pharmacology (EJP).

During the experiment, laboratory mice were placed on a diet with elevated salt content for six months. Behavioral tests showed deterioration of cognitive functions, reduced learning ability, and increased anxiety. In parallel, researchers identified neuron damage and signs of inflammation in the hippocampus - a brain region that plays a key role in memory and emotional processes.

According to the analysis, disruptions in the gut-brain axis became the central mechanism of these changes.

The high-salt diet led to shifts in the composition of gut microbiota, which in turn were associated with changes in gene activity in the brain, increased neuroinflammation, and death of nerve cells.

Scientists also identified specific groups of bacteria associated with inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes. In particular, an increase in the numbers of Dubosiella and Anaeroplasma groups in the gut microbiota increased the expression of several inflammatory markers at once: Btbd16, Il1b, Prlr, Cd24a, Ak.

The authors of the study note that the obtained data strengthen the evidence for the role of gut microbiota in the development of cognitive impairments and point to the potential danger of chronic excess salt intake in the diet. In the future, these results may form the basis for preventive approaches to maintaining cognitive health through dietary modification.