Obesity at conception programs the opioid system in the offspring brain.

ABSTRACT: Maternal obesity during pregnancy increases the risk for offspring obesity, in part through effects on the developing brain. Previous research has shown that perinatal consumption of highly palatable foods by the mother can influence the development of offspring taste preferences and alter gene expression within the central nervous system (CNS) reward system. Opioids stimulate consumption of both fats and carbohydrates, and overconsumption of these energy dense foods increases the risk for obesity. What has remained unclear is whether this risk can be transmitted to the offspring before gestation or if it is wholly the gestational exposure that affects offspring brain development. Utilizing an embryo transfer experimental design, 2-cell embryos were obtained from obese or control dams, and

SUBMITTER: Grissom NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3924512 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature