The Neural Protective Effects of Intermittent Fasting in Adult Drosophila Following Traumatic Brain Injury Exposure

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a major cause of neurological-based morbidity and mortality in different human populations. Repetitive, mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is increasingly recognized as a contributor to progressive neural attrition. Dietary measures that are neural protective could provide an accessible means for impacted human populations to alter outcomes in relation to neurological diseases. Intermittent fasting (IF) has been associated with metabolic and neuroprotective benefits for several neurological disease models, including Drosophila melanogaster models that are used to study neurological disorders linked to TBI exposure. Using two IF regimens, we examined the outcomes of adult Drosophila in conjunction with aging and mTBI. Overall, when exposed to trauma, IF-treated adult cohorts exhibited longer lifespans, lower mortality rates and improved behavioral responses. This included young (10-day) and middle aged (21-day) flies exposed to either Pre- or Post-IF conditions. Additionally, expression analysis showed IF treatments significantly reduced expression levels of Drosophila inflammatory markers (AMPs) in adult neural tissues from traumatized flies. The indications are that the net positive impact of IF found for longevity and trauma responses could be due to lower levels of secondary neuronal damage.