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Pathways linking obesity to neuropsychiatric disorders
Laís Bhering Martins1, Nayara Mussi Monteze1, Chadi Calarge2
1Department of Nutrition, Nursing School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.)
|June 15, 2019
Summary
Obesity increases the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders like depression and dementia. Addressing obesity or these brain conditions may impact the other, highlighting shared inflammatory and stress pathways.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Obesity is linked to increased risk of neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, dementia, and schizophrenia.
- Neuropsychiatric conditions can contribute to obesity through behaviors and medications affecting appetite.
- Both obesity and neuropsychiatric disorders share common features like systemic inflammation, neuroinflammation, and dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the complex relationship between obesity and neuropsychiatric disorders.
- To explore the shared biological pathways, including inflammation, HPA axis, and gut microbiota, linking these conditions.
- To inform potential therapeutic strategies targeting these interconnected pathways.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies investigating the links between obesity and neuropsychiatric disorders.
- Analysis of pathways including systemic inflammation, neuroinflammation, neuroendocrine changes (HPA axis), and gut microbiota.
- Synthesis of evidence on how these pathways mediate the relationship between obesity and mood disorders, schizophrenia, and dementia.
Main Results:
- Obesity and neuropsychiatric disorders share low-grade systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation.
- Obesity is associated with neuroendocrine changes, particularly HPA axis activation, a known trigger for psychiatric episodes and cognitive decline.
- Gut microbiota plays a significant role in modulating inflammation and HPA axis function, influencing both obesity and brain health.
Conclusions:
- The relationship between obesity and neuropsychiatric disorders is bidirectional and mediated by shared biological pathways.
- Interventions targeting obesity may influence neuropsychiatric conditions, and vice versa, due to these interconnected mechanisms.
- Understanding these pathways is crucial for developing integrated therapeutic strategies for both obesity and neuropsychiatric disorders.
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