• Question: can you have a fatty brain? x

    Asked by andyyyyy to Joanna, Fiona on 24 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Joanna Brooks

      Joanna Brooks answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      Hello again! In theory, yes I think you can have a fatty brain – the reason for this is that all cells in the brain are protected by a special layer of material called ‘myelin’ which is made from mostly lipids (in other words fat) and protein. Myelin is electrically charged and so protects the cell and helps it to receive electrochemical messages.

    • Photo: Fiona Randall

      Fiona Randall answered on 24 Jun 2010:

      About 2/3 of our brains are fat. Fatty acids are what cells composed of. Also the neurons are insulated to helpo signals pass along them quicker by a fat called myelin-this is also the bit of the brain that is lost in MS.

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