Maternal Western-style diet reduces social engagement and increases idiosyncratic behavior in Japanese macaque...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Biology
• Primatology

Background:

• Maternal obesity is linked to offspring neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD and ASD.
• Limited preclinical data exists on maternal Western-Style Diet (mWSD) effects on offspring social behavior.
• Aberrant social behavior is a diagnostic feature of several neurodevelopmental disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of maternal nutrition and metabolic state on offspring social behavior in Japanese macaques.
• To examine the relationship between maternal Western-Style Diet (mWSD) exposure and social behavior in non-human primates.
• To identify potential mediating factors in the association between maternal diet and offspring behavior.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) to study maternal Western-Style Diet (mWSD) effects.
• Assessed offspring social behaviors, including affiliative interactions and proximity to peers.
• Employed path analysis to explore mediating roles of maternal interleukin (IL)-12, adiposity, and leptin.

Main Results:

• Offspring exposed to maternal Western-Style Diet (mWSD) initiated fewer affiliative social behaviors and less proximity.
• Reduced offspring social engagement was mediated by increased maternal IL-12 during the third trimester.
• Increased idiosyncratic behavior in mWSD offspring was associated with maternal adiposity and leptin alterations.

Conclusions:

• Maternal Western-Style Diet (mWSD) exposure during gestation is associated with behavioral phenotypes resembling early-emerging neurodevelopmental disorders in non-human primates.
• Increased maternal IL-12 and adiposity during pregnancy may be key mediators linking maternal diet to offspring social deficits.
• These findings suggest mWSD as a potential risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders and highlight targets for intervention.