Neonatal overfeeding promotes anxiety, impairs episodic-like memory, and disrupts transcriptional regulation of hippocampal steroidogenic enzymes.

The objective of our study was to investigate the impact of neonatal overfeeding on cognitive functions and neurosteroidogenesis in male rats. Offspring were assigned to either small litters (SL; 4 pups/mother), resulting in increased milk intake and body weight gain, or normal litters (NL; 10 pups/mother). On postnatal day (PND) 21, half of the male rats were euthanized, while the remaining were kept under standard conditions (4 rats/cage) until PND70.

Neonatal overfeeding alters the functioning of the mesolimbic dopaminergic circuitry involving changes in DNA methylation and effects on feeding behavior.

Mesolimbic dopaminergic circuit is essential for food reward and motivational behaviors and can contribute to weight gain and obesity. Litter reduction is a classical model for studying the effects of neonatal overfeeding and overweight. Litters of Wistar rats were reduced to 4 pups/dam for small litter (SL) and 10 pups/dam for normal litter at postnatal day (PND) 4.

Epigenetic disruption of placental genes by chronic maternal cafeteria diet in rats.

Maternal diet has impact on reproduction, fetal development and offspring behavior, although molecular mechanisms remained unknown. Our aims were to assess (1) the effects of a cafeteria (CAF) diet (western diet habits) on female reproductive performance, fetal and placental parameters on gestational day 21 and litter size and pup weight at birth; and (2) placental messenger RNA (mRNA) expression and epigenetic regulation of Insulin-Like Growth Factor (Igf) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (Vegf) and their receptors. Female Wistar rats were fed with control or CAF diet from weaning until parturition.

Temporary effects of neonatal overfeeding on homeostatic control of food intake involve alterations in POMC promoter methylation in male rats.

A small litter (SL) model was used to determine how neonatal overfeeding affects the homeostatic control of food intake in male rats at weaning and postnatal day (PND) 90. At PND4, litters were reduced to small (4 pups/dam) or normal (10 pups/dam) litters. At weaning, SL rats showed higher body weight and characteristic features of the metabolic syndrome.

The impact of sensory and motor enrichment on the epigenetic control of steroidogenic-related genes in rat hippocampus.

In the present study, we analyzed the effects of a short-term environmental enrichment on the mRNA expression and DNA methylation of steroidogenic enzymes in the hippocampus. Thus, young adult (80-day-old) and middle-aged (350-day-old) Wistar female rats were exposed to sensory (SE) or motor (ME) enrichment during 10 days and compared to animals housed under standard conditions. SE was provided by an assortment of objects that included plastic tubes and toys; for ME, rodent wheels were provided.