Maternal overnutrition during critical developmental periods leads to different health adversities in the offspring: relevance of obesity, addiction and schizophrenia.

ABSTRACT: Maternal overnutrition during sensitive periods of early development increases the risk for obesity and neuropsychiatric disorders later in life. However, it still remains unclear during which phases of early development the offspring is more vulnerable. Here, we investigate the effects of maternal high-fat diet (MHFD) at different stages of pre- or postnatal development and characterize the behavioral, neurochemical and metabolic phenotypes. We observe that MHFD exposure at pre-conception has no deleterious effects on the behavioral and metabolic state of the offspring. Late gestational HFD exposure leads to more prominent addictive-like behaviors with reduced striatal dopamine levels compared to early gestational HFD. Conversely, offspring exposed to MHFD during lactation display the met

SUBMITTER: Sarker G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6872534 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature