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Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
Eating and hypothalamus changes in behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia
Olivier Piguet1, Asa Petersén, Bonnie Yin Ka Lam
1Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia. o.piguet@neura.edu.au
Annals of Neurology
|March 10, 2011
Summary
Behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) causes hypothalamic atrophy, particularly in the posterior region. This degeneration is linked to significant eating disturbances in bvFTD patients, suggesting new therapeutic targets.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neuropathology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive, personality, and behavioral changes.
- Eating disturbances, including overeating and sweet food preference, are common in bvFTD.
- The hypothalamus is crucial for feeding regulation, but its role in bvFTD-related eating behavior is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between hypothalamic pathology and eating behavior in early-stage bvFTD.
- To utilize both in vivo imaging and postmortem analyses to examine hypothalamic structure and neuronal integrity.
Main Methods:
- Structural MRI was used to assess hypothalamic volume in 18 bvFTD patients and 16 controls.
- Postmortem hypothalamic tissue from 12 bvFTD cases and 6 controls was analyzed using immunohistochemistry and stereology.
- Eating behavior was assessed in living patients.
Main Results:
- Significant hypothalamic atrophy was observed in bvFTD patients compared to controls.
- Posterior hypothalamic atrophy correlated with severe feeding disturbances.
- Neuronal loss was found predominantly in the posterior hypothalamus in bvFTD cases with Tar DNA protein-43 deposition, while key appetite-regulating neurons were spared.
Conclusions:
- Hypothalamic degeneration and dysregulation are associated with significant feeding disturbances in bvFTD.
- These findings highlight the hypothalamus as a key region involved in bvFTD pathophysiology and suggest potential therapeutic avenues.
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