Abstract Objective Excess nutrient supply and rapid weight gain during early life are risk factors for the development of obesity during adulthood. This metabolic malprogramming may be mediated by ...endocrine disturbances during critical periods of development. Ghrelin is a metabolic hormone secreted from the stomach that acts centrally to promote feeding behavior by binding to growth hormone secretagogue receptors in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. Here, we examined whether neonatal overnutrition causes changes in the ghrelin system. Methods We used a well-described mouse model of divergent litter sizes to study the effects of postnatal overfeeding on the central and peripheral ghrelin systems during postnatal development. Results Mice raised in small litters became overweight during lactation and remained overweight with increased adiposity as adults. Neonatally overnourished mice showed attenuated levels of total and acyl ghrelin in serum and decreased levels of Ghrelin mRNA expression in the stomach during the third week of postnatal life. Normalization of hypoghrelinemia in overnourished pups was relatively ineffective at ameliorating metabolic outcomes, suggesting that small litter pups may present ghrelin resistance. Consistent with this idea, neonatally overnourished pups displayed an impaired central response to peripheral ghrelin. The mechanisms underlying this ghrelin resistance appear to include diminished ghrelin transport into the hypothalamus. Conclusions Early postnatal overnutrition results in central resistance to peripheral ghrelin during important periods of hypothalamic development. Because ghrelin signaling has recently been implicated in the neonatal programming of metabolism, these alterations in the ghrelin system may contribute to the metabolic defects observed in postnatally overnourished mice.
Theory of Mind (ToM), i.e. the ability to understand others' mental states, endows humans with highly adaptive social skills such as teaching or deceiving. Candidate evolutionary explanations have ...been proposed for the unique sophistication of human ToM among primates. For example, the Machiavellian intelligence hypothesis states that the increasing complexity of social networks may have induced a demand for sophisticated ToM. This type of scenario ignores neurocognitive constraints that may eventually be crucial limiting factors for ToM evolution. In contradistinction, the cognitive scaffolding hypothesis asserts that a species' opportunity to develop sophisticated ToM is mostly determined by its general cognitive capacity (on which ToM is scaffolded). However, the actual relationships between ToM sophistication and either brain volume (a proxy for general cognitive capacity) or social group size (a proxy for social network complexity) are unclear. Here, we let 39 individuals sampled from seven non-human primate species (lemurs, macaques, mangabeys, orangutans, gorillas and chimpanzees) engage in simple dyadic games against artificial ToM players (via a familiar human caregiver). Using computational analyses of primates' choice sequences, we found that the probability of exhibiting a ToM-compatible learning style is mainly driven by species' brain volume (rather than by social group size). Moreover, primates' social cognitive sophistication culminates in a precursor form of ToM, which still falls short of human fully-developed ToM abilities.
Amylin phosphorylates ERK (p-ERK) in the area postrema to reduce eating and synergizes with leptin to phosphorylate STAT3 in the arcuate (ARC) and ventromedial (VMN) hypothalamic nuclei to reduce ...food intake and body weight. The current studies assessed potential amylin and amylin-leptin ARC/VMN interactions on ERK signaling and their roles in postnatal hypothalamic pathway development. In amylin knockout mice, the density of agouti-related protein (AgRP)-immunoreactive (IR) fibers in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) was increased, while the density of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (αMSH) fibers was decreased. In mice deficient of the amylin receptor components RAMP1/3, both AgRP and αMSH-IR fiber densities were decreased, while only αMSH-IR fiber density was decreased in rats injected neonatally in the ARC/VMN with an adeno-associated virus short hairpin RNA against the amylin core receptor. Amylin induced p-ERK in ARC neurons, 60% of which was present in POMC-expressing neurons, with none in NPY neurons. An amylin-leptin interaction was shown by an additive effect on ARC ERK signaling in neonatal rats and a 44% decrease in amylin-induced p-ERK in the ARC of leptin receptor-deficient and of ob/ob mice. Together, these results suggest that amylin directly acts, through a p-ERK-mediated process, on POMC neurons to enhance ARC-PVN αMSH pathway development.
The arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) is a critical component of forebrain pathways that regulate a variety of neuroendocrine functions, including an important role in relaying leptin signals ...to other parts of the hypothalamus. However, neonatal rodents do not lose weight in response to leptin treatment in the same way as do adults, suggesting that certain aspects of leptin signaling pathways in the hypothalamus may not be mature. We tested this possibility by using DiI axonal labeling to examine the development of projections from the ARH to other parts of the hypothalamus in neonatal mice, paying particular attention to the innervation of the paraventricular nucleus (PVH), the dorsomedial nucleus (DMH), and the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), each of which have been implicated in the regulation of feeding. The results indicate that ARH projections are quite immature at birth and appear to innervate the DMH, PVH, and LHA in succession, within distinct temporal domains. The projections from the ARH to the DMH develop rapidly and are established by the sixth postnatal day (P6), whereas those to the PVH develop significantly later, with the mature pattern of innervation first apparent between postnatal day 8 (P8)-P10. Furthermore, the ability of leptin to activate Fos in the PVH, DMH, and LHA appears to be age-dependent and correlates with the arrival of ARH projections to each nucleus. Taken together, these findings provide new insight into development of hypothalamic circuits and suggest an anatomical basis for the delayed postnatal regulation of food intake and body weight by leptin.
Obesogens are compounds that disrupt the function and development of adipose tissue or the normal metabolism of lipids, leading to an increased risk of obesity and associated diseases. Evidence for ...the adverse effects of industrial and agricultural obesogens, such as tributyltin, bisphenol A and other organic pollutants is well-established. Current evidence suggests that high maternal consumption of fat promotes obesity and increased metabolic risk in offspring, but less is known about the effects of other potential nutrient obesogens. Widespread increase in dietary fructose consumption over the past 30 years is associated with chronic metabolic and endocrine disorders and alterations in feeding behaviour that promote obesity. In this Perspectives, we examine the evidence linking high intakes of fructose with altered metabolism and early obesity. We review the evidence suggesting that high fructose exposure during critical periods of development of the fetus, neonate and infant can act as an obesogen by affecting lifelong neuroendocrine function, appetite control, feeding behaviour, adipogenesis, fat distribution and metabolic systems. These changes ultimately favour the long-term development of obesity and associated metabolic risk.
It has been widely accepted that dopamine (DA) plays a major role in motivation, yet the specific contribution of DA signaling at D
1
-like receptor (D
1
R) and D
2
-like receptor (D
2
R) to ...cost–benefit trade-off remains unclear. Here, by combining pharmacological manipulation of DA receptors (DARs) and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, we assessed the relationship between the degree of D
1
R/D
2
R blockade and changes in benefit- and cost-based motivation for goal-directed behavior of macaque monkeys. We found that the degree of blockade of either D
1
R or D
2
R was associated with a reduction of the positive impact of reward amount and increasing delay discounting. Workload discounting was selectively increased by D
2
R antagonism. In addition, blocking both D
1
R and D
2
R had a synergistic effect on delay discounting but an antagonist effect on workload discounting. These results provide fundamental insight into the distinct mechanisms of DA action in the regulation of the benefit- and cost-based motivation, which have important implications for motivational alterations in both neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Introduction
While several theories have highlighted the importance of the noradrenergic system for behavioral flexibility, a number of recent studies have also shown a role for noradrenaline in ...motivation, particularly in effort processing. Here, we designed a novel sequential cost/benefit decision task to test the causal influence of noradrenaline on these two functions in rhesus monkeys.
Methods
We manipulated noradrenaline using clonidine, an alpha-2 noradrenergic receptor agonist, which reduces central noradrenaline levels and examined how this manipulation influenced performance on the task.
Results
Clonidine had two specific and distinct effects: first, it decreased choice variability, without affecting the cost/benefit trade-off; and second, it reduced force production, without modulating the willingness to work.
Conclusions
Together, these results support an overarching role for noradrenaline in facing challenging situations in two complementary ways: by modulating behavioral volatility, which would facilitate adaptation depending on the lability of the environment, and by modulating the mobilization of resources to face immediate challenges.
Emerging evidence from epidemiological and animal studies suggests that exposure to traffic-related air pollutants and particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM
) contributes to development ...of obesity and related metabolic abnormalities. However, it is not known whether nanoscale particulate matter (nPM) with aerodynamic diameter ≤200 nm have similar adverse metabolic effects. The goal of the present study was to determine the effects of prenatal and early life exposure to nPM on metabolic homeostasis in mice. C57BL/6 J mice were exposed to nPM or filtered air from gestation until 17 weeks of age and characterized for metabolic and behavioral parameters. In male mice, nPM exposure increased food intake, body weight, fat mass, adiposity, and whole-body glucose intolerance (p < 0.05). Consistent with these effects, male mice exposed to nPM displayed alterations in the expression of metabolically-relevant neuropeptides in the hypothalamus and decreased expression of insulin receptor signaling genes in adipose (p < 0.05). There were no differences in exploratory behavior or motor function, fasting lipid levels, or the inflammatory profile of adipose tissue. Our results provide evidence that chronic nPM exposure from gestation to early adulthood in male mice promotes metabolic dysregulation in part through modulation of feeding behavior and in the absence of an obesogenic diet.
Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder characterized by a variety of physiological and behavioral dysregulations, including hyperphagia, a condition that can lead to life-threatening ...obesity. Feeding behavior is a highly complex process with multiple feedback loops that involve both peripheral and central systems. The arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) is critical for the regulation of homeostatic processes including feeding, and this nucleus develops during neonatal life under of the influence of both environmental and genetic factors. Although much attention has focused on the metabolic and behavioral outcomes of PWS, an understanding of its effects on the development of hypothalamic circuits remains elusive. Here, we show that mice lacking Magel2, one of the genes responsible for the etiology of PWS, display an abnormal development of ARH axonal projections. Notably, the density of anorexigenic α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone axons was reduced in adult Magel2-null mice, while the density of orexigenic agouti-related peptide fibers in the mutant mice appeared identical to that in control mice. On the basis of previous findings showing a pivotal role for metabolic hormones in hypothalamic development, we also measured leptin and ghrelin levels in Magel2-null and control neonates and found that mutant mice have normal leptin and ghrelin levels. In vitro experiments show that Magel2 directly promotes axon growth. Together, these findings suggest that a loss of Magel2 leads to the disruption of hypothalamic feeding circuits, an effect that appears to be independent of the neurodevelopmental effects of leptin and ghrelin and likely involves a direct neurotrophic effect of Magel2.
Obesity is associated with the activation of cellular responses, such as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Here, we show that leptin-deficient ob/ob mice display elevated hypothalamic ER stress as ...early as postnatal day 10, i.e., prior to the development of obesity in this mouse model. Neonatal treatment of ob/ob mice with the ER stress-relieving drug tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) causes long-term amelioration of body weight, food intake, glucose homeostasis, and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) projections. Cells exposed to ER stress often activate autophagy. Accordingly, we report that in vitro induction of ER stress and neonatal leptin deficiency in vivo activate hypothalamic autophagy-related genes. Furthermore, genetic deletion of autophagy in pro-opiomelanocortin neurons of ob/ob mice worsens their glucose homeostasis, adiposity, hyperphagia, and POMC neuronal projections, all of which are ameliorated with neonatal TUDCA treatment. Together, our data highlight the importance of early life ER stress-autophagy pathway in influencing hypothalamic circuits and metabolic regulation.
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