To clarify the mechanism of overeating in obesity - the involvement of microglial activation and neural plasticity in the brain reward system

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26860712
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Endocrinology
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: Nobuko Yamada-Goto 慶應義塾大学, 医学部(信濃町), 特別研究員(RPD) (50400891)
• Research Collaborator: NAKAE Jun 慶應義塾大学, 医学部, 特任准教授
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 肥満症 / 過食 / 報酬系 / マイクログリア / 脳内炎症

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Overeating is one of the core symptom and the reason of obesity. My hypothesis is the inflammatory changes both in neurons and microglia in the brain reward system due to high-fat feeding may cause overeating. Therefore, in this study, I examined high-fat-feeding male C57BL/6J mice. High-fat feeding for 2 weeks caused elevation of inflammatory cytokines and activation of microglia in the hypothalamus and hippocampus which are related to reward system. Weight reduction by means of food changes from high-fat diet to normal chow, led the hypothalamic and hippocampal mRNA expressions into close pattern of those in mice fed on continously normal chow only.

Free Research Field

肥満症、神経内分泌