Maternal high-fat diet in mice programs emotional behavior in adulthood.
The maternal environment has a significant role in the normal development of the fetus and may have long-term impact on brain development including critical central pathways such as the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonergic and the neurotrophin systems. For example, maternal malnutrition plays an important role in programming many aspects of physiology and behavior including predisposition to mental-health related disorders such as anxiety. Here we investigated the effects of maternal high-fat diet or control diet for nine weeks (prior to gestation, gestation and lactation) on the adult offspring with respect to anxiety related behaviors as well as exploration and conditioned fear response. We found that offspring born to high-fat diet mothers showed increased anxiety-like behaviors, but intact conditioned fear response and exploratory behavior. In addition, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was significantly increased in the dorsal hippocampus, while GABA(A) alpha2 receptor subunit and 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A (5-HT1A) receptor showed increased levels in the ventral hippocampus. In summary, these findings suggest that maternal high-fat diet consumption during critical periods in the development of the fetus, might increase the risk of abnormal behaviors in adulthood related to anxiety.
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Institute of Food Nutrition and Health, Schorenstrasse 16, 8603 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland. daria-peleg@ethz.ch
Daria
D
Peleg-Raibstein
Edlira
E
Luca
Christian
C
Wolfrum
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D044366:Transition Temperature
D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor