A combination of lipidomics, expression analysis and chemical synthesis unravels new patterns in brain lipid metabolism. Decrease of specific lipids in the CNS possibly increases susceptibility to inflammation.    

Our brain is largely composed of a variety of fats and these are crucial for a healthy, functioning brain. Ageing is often associated with impaired lipid metabolism in the brain, which in turn has been associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases. But exactly which fats and metabolites are involved is still unclear, because these relatively small molecules are difficult to characterise.