A team of scientists has made an important discovery: problems in the liver caused by a condition called metabolic dysfunction–associated fatty liver disease (MASLD) can directly harm the brain.
Even more exciting, they found that treating the liver—not the brain—can reverse these problems. Their study, published in the journal Science Advances, shows that the connection between the liver and the brain is stronger than we thought and could lead to new treatments for memory and learning problems.
MASLD is a growing health problem linked to obesity and poor diet. In this condition, fat builds up in the liver and causes inflammation and damage. Until now, doctors mostly focused on how MASLD affects the liver and the rest of the body. But this new study shows that it can also cause changes in brain function and behavior.
The research was led by Dr. Malu Martínez-Chantar, who works at CIC bioGUNE in Spain, and Dr. Teresa Cardoso Delgado, a scientist at IIS Biobizkaia. They studied animals that developed liver disease from eating an unhealthy diet.
These animals began to show signs of memory problems and trouble processing sensory information. The scientists looked closely at the hippocampus, a part of the brain that is important for learning and memory. They found that this area wasn’t working properly.
What makes this study even more hopeful is that the scientists were able to fix the brain problems by treating the liver alone. They used a new type of therapy called siRNA, which works at the genetic level.
The treatment targeted a protein called CNNM4 that helps move magnesium in and out of liver cells. This protein is altered in people with liver disease. The scientists used a delivery system called GalNAc-siRNA to make sure the therapy went only to the liver.
After the treatment, the animals’ liver inflammation decreased—and their brain function improved. Their memory got better, and their behavior returned to normal. This is the first time scientists have shown that treating the liver can directly help the brain in this way.
Dr. Martínez-Chantar said, “Our work shows that fatty liver and liver inflammation can directly change how the brain works. This opens up a new way to help people: by treating liver disease, we might also be able to improve brain function.”
Dr. Cardoso Delgado added, “We’re excited that modern molecular biology and targeted therapies can make a real difference for the brain. This is a great example of how precision treatments can have wider effects on the body.”
In summary, this study introduces the idea of a liver–brain axis—where changes in the liver can affect the brain and behavior. These findings are important because they give researchers and doctors a new way to think about how to treat cognitive problems, especially in people who have liver disease.
If future studies in humans confirm these results, we could one day help patients with both liver disease and memory issues by focusing on the liver instead of the brain.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about simple habit that could give you a healthy liver, and common diabetes drug that may reverse liver inflammation.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about simple blood test that could detect your risk of fatty liver disease, and results showing this green diet may strongly lower non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
