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Related Concept Videos

Obesity01:24

Obesity

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a numerical value derived from a person's weight and height, used to categorize individuals into weight ranges. It is calculated using the formula: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Obesity is a health condition characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue that poses health risks, often diagnosed with a BMI ≥ 30. This excess fat storage occurs when surplus dietary calories are converted into triglycerides and stored in adipocytes...
Pharmacokinetics in Obese Patients: Drug Metabolism and Excretion01:20

Pharmacokinetics in Obese Patients: Drug Metabolism and Excretion

Drug metabolism, a critical process in the liver, involves two primary phases: Phase I reactions and Phase II conjugation. Obesity introduces significant alterations in this metabolic process, primarily due to fatty infiltration of the liver, leading to conditions such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This condition can modify the activities of both Phase I and II enzymes, impacting how drugs are metabolized in obese patients.Phase I metabolism sees variable effects across...
Teratogenicity01:07

Teratogenicity

The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...
Opioid Receptors: Overview01:22

Opioid Receptors: Overview

Opioid receptors, including the mu (μ, MOR), delta (δ, DOR), and kappa (κ, KOR) types, belong to the rhodopsin family of G protein-coupled receptors. These receptors are located throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems and in non-neuronal tissues such as macrophages and astrocytes. Opioid receptor ligands can be categorized into agonists or antagonists. Highly selective agonists include [d-Ala2, MePhe4, Gly(ol)5]-enkephalin or DAMGO for MOR, [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]-enkephalin or DPDPE for...
Drug Dosing: Obese Patients01:21

Drug Dosing: Obese Patients

In the United States, obesity is a prominent concern. It is linked to heightened mortality rates due to increased occurrences of conditions such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and diabetes compared to nonobese individuals. A patient is classified as obese if their actual body weight surpasses the ideal or desirable body weight by 20%, based on Metropolitan Life Insurance Company data. Ideal body weights consider average weights and heights for males and females...
Regulation of Food Intake01:30

Regulation of Food Intake

Short-term regulation of food intake primarily involves neural signals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blood nutrient levels, and GI tract hormones. Communication between the gut and brain via vagal nerve fibers plays a significant role in evaluating the contents of the gut. Clinical studies have shown that protein ingestion produces a more prolonged response in these nerve fibers compared to an equivalent amount of glucose. Additionally, the activation of stretch receptors caused by GI...

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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
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Published on: August 25, 2014

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

Nicola M Grissom1, Randolph Lyde2, Lori Christ3

  • 11] Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA [2] Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
|August 9, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Maternal obesity before pregnancy, not just during, can impact offspring brain development and reward systems. This study shows parental obesity programs offspring for obesity risk even before conception.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Metabolic Disorders

Background:

  • Maternal obesity during pregnancy is linked to increased offspring obesity risk, partly via effects on the developing brain.
  • Perinatal consumption of palatable foods by mothers can influence offspring taste preferences and alter gene expression in the central nervous system (CNS) reward pathways.
  • Opioid pathways regulate the consumption of fats and carbohydrates, with overconsumption increasing obesity risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether parental obesity before conception, in addition to during gestation, influences offspring brain development and reward system programming.
  • To determine if the risk for offspring obesity can be transmitted before gestation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized an embryo transfer experimental design with 2-cell embryos from obese or control dams transferred to obese or control gestational carriers.
  • Evaluated the expression of mu-opioid receptor (MOR), preproenkephalin (PENK), and dopamine transporter in key brain regions (hypothalamus, ventral tegmental area, prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens).
  • Assessed gene expression in both adult and late embryonic brains.

Main Results:

  • Obesity in dams prior to conception altered the expression levels of mu-opioid receptor (MOR) and preproenkephalin (PENK) in offspring.
  • These alterations in gene expression were observed in both embryonic and adult brains.
  • Male offspring showed a relatively greater impact from parental obesity compared to female offspring.

Conclusions:

  • Parental obesity at the time of conception, independent of gestational environment, can program the offspring's brain reward system.
  • These findings provide the first evidence that pre-conceptional obesity can influence offspring's susceptibility to obesity.
  • The study highlights the critical role of the parental metabolic state before pregnancy in shaping offspring neurodevelopment and long-term health outcomes.