A study led by Idibaps researchers has identified the
neural mechanisms responsible for cravings during pregnancy
.
The results of the study, carried out on female mice and published in the journal
Nature Metabolism
,
have shown that during pregnancy,
the brain undergoes changes in the functional connections of the reward circuits, as well as the taste and sensorimotor centers
.
Furthermore, like pregnant women, female mice are more sensitive to sweets and develop compulsive eating behaviors of caloric foods.
"The alteration of these structures led us to explore the mesolimbic pathway, one of the signal transmission routes of dopaminergic neurons. Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter in behaviors of motivation or desire", says Marc Claret, leader of the Idibaps group. Neuronal control of metabolism and professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Barcelona.
Claret leads, together with Roberta Haddad-Tóvolli, a researcher in her group, this study that provides
new evidence on the alterations in neuronal activity during pregnancy
that give rise to cravings.
The researchers observed that
dopamine levels, as well as the activity of its D2R receptor, increased in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region involved in the reward circuitry
.
"This finding suggests that pregnancy induces a complete reorganization of mesolimbic neuronal circuits, through DR2 neurons", says Haddad-Tóvolli.
"Likewise, these neuronal cells, and their alteration, would also be responsible for the appearance of cravings, since the anxiety for food, typical of pregnancy, disappeared after blocking their activity."
Effects on the baby
Finally, the group of researchers have shown that
persistent cravings have consequences for offspring
.
Specifically, they affect your metabolism, as well as the development of neural circuits that regulate food intake, which leads to increased body weight, anxiety and eating disorders.
"These results are surprising, since most studies focus on analyzing how the mother's permanent habits, such as obesity, malnutrition or chronic stress, affect the baby's health. However, our work indicates that it is enough with short, but recurrent behaviors such as cravings, to increase the psychological and metabolic vulnerability of the offspring," concludes
claret
.
The conclusions of the study could contribute to improving nutritional clinical guidelines for pregnant women, in order to ensure adequate prenatal nutrition and prevent the onset of diseases.
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