A drug already used to treat rheumatoid arthritis also helps obese/diabetic adult mice regain their ability to learn and comprehend, while transplanting belly fat to a normal mouse reduces those abilities, said Dr. Alexis M. Stranahan, neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.

Studies in humans and animals indicate that obesity and diabetes -- which often go hand in hand -- essentially triple the risk of mild cognitive impairment as well as Alzheimer's. Stranahan focused on the effect of fat- and diabetes-associated inflammation in the brain's hippocampus, the center of learning and memory.