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Predicted DRD4 prefrontal gene expression moderates snack intake and stress perception in response to the environment in adolescents.

ABSTRACT: Body weight is substantially determined by eating behaviors, which are themselves driven by biological factors interacting with the environment. Previous studies in young children suggest that genetic influences on dopamine function may confer differential susceptibility to the environment in such a way that increases behavioral obesity risk in a lower socioeconomic status (SES) environment but decreases it in a higher SES environment. We aimed to test if this pattern of effect could also be observed in adolescence, another critical period for development in brain and behavior, using a novel measure of predicted expression of the dopamine receptor 4 (DRD4) gene in prefrontal cortex. In a sample of 76 adolescents (37 boys and 39 girls from Baltimore, Maryland/US, aged 14-18y), we estimated individual levels of DRD4 gene expression (PredDRD4) in prefrontal cortex from individual genomic data using PrediXcan, and tested interactions with a composite SES score derived from their annual household income, maternal education, food insecurity, perceived resource availability, and receipt of public assistance. Primary outcomes were snack intake during a multi-item ad libitum meal test, and food-related impulsivity assessed using a food-adapted go/no-go task. A linear regression model adjusted for sex, BMI z-score, and genetic ethnicity demonstrated a PredDRD4 by composite SES score interaction for snack intake (p = 0.009), such that adolescents who had lower PredDRD4 levels exhibited greater snack intake in the lower SES group, but lesser snack intake in the higher SES group. Exploratory analysis revealed a similar pattern for scores on the Perceived Stress Scale (p = 0.001) such that the low PredDRD4 group reported higher stress in the lower SES group, but less stress in the higher SES group, suggesting that PredDRD4 may act in part by affecting perceptions of the environment. These results are consistent with a differential susceptibility model in which genes influencing environmental responsiveness interact with environments varying in obesogenicity to confer behavioral obesity risk in a less favorable environment, but behavioral obesity protection in a favorable one.

SUBMITTER: Portella AK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7319347 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Predicted DRD4 prefrontal gene expression moderates snack intake and stress perception in response to the environment in adolescents.

Portella Andre Krumel AK Papantoni Afroditi A Paquet Catherine C Moore Spencer S Rosch Keri Shiels KS Mostofsky Stewart S Lee Richard S RS Smith Kimberly R KR Levitan Robert R Silveira Patricia Pelufo PP Carnell Susan S Dube Laurette L

PloS one 20200626 6

Body weight is substantially determined by eating behaviors, which are themselves driven by biological factors interacting with the environment. Previous studies in young children suggest that genetic influences on dopamine function may confer differential susceptibility to the environment in such a way that increases behavioral obesity risk in a lower socioeconomic status (SES) environment but decreases it in a higher SES environment. We aimed to test if this pattern of effect could also be obs ...[more]

PMID: 32589693

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Project description:BackgroundEvidence for the impact of the food retailing environment on food-related and obesity outcomes remains equivocal, but only a few studies have attempted to identify sub-populations for whom this relationship might be stronger than others. Genetic polymorphisms related to dopamine signalling have been associated with differences in responses to rewards such as food and may be candidate markers to identify such sub-populations. This study sought to investigate whether genetic variation of the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4 exon III 48 bp VNTR polymorphism) moderated the association between local exposure to food retailers on BMI and diet in a sample of 4 to12-year-old children.MethodsData collected from a birth cohort and a community cross-sectional study conducted in Montreal, Canada, were combined to provide DRD4 VNTR polymorphism data in terms of presence of the 7-repeat allele (DRD4-7R) for 322 children aged between 4 and 12 (M (SD): 6.8(2.8) y). Outcomes were Body Mass Index (BMI) for age and energy density derived from a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Food environment was expressed as the proportion of local food retailers classified as healthful within 3 km of participants' residence. Linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, income, cohort, and geographic clustering were used to test gene*environment interactions.ResultsA significant gene*food environment interaction was found for energy density with results indicating that DRD4-7R carriers had more energy dense diets than non-carriers, with this effect being more pronounced in children living in areas with proportionally more unhealthy food retailers. No evidence of main or interactive effects of DRD4 VNTR and food environment was found for BMI.ConclusionsResults of the present study suggest that a genetic marker related to dopamine pathways can identify children with potentially greater responsiveness to unhealthy local food environment. Future studies should investigate additional elements of the food environment and test whether results hold across different populations.

Project description:Background: Obesity is associated with reduced activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a region of the brain that plays a key role in the support of self-regulatory aspects of eating behavior and inhibitory control. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive technique used to modulate brain activity.Objectives: We tested whether repeated anodal tDCS targeted at the left DLPFC (compared with sham tDCS) has an immediate effect on eating behavior during ad libitum food intake, resulting in weight change, and whether it might influence longer-term food intake-related appetite ratings in individuals with obesity.Design: In a randomized parallel-design study combining inpatient and outpatient assessments over 31 d, 23 individuals with obesity [12 men; mean ± SD body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2): 39.3 ± 8.42] received 15 sessions of anodal (i.e., enhancing cortical activity) or sham tDCS aimed at the left DLPFC. Ad libitum food intake was assessed through the use of a vending machine paradigm and snack food taste tests (SFTTs). Appetite was evaluated with a visual analog scale (VAS). Body weight was measured. We examined the effect of short-term (i.e., 3 sessions) and long-term (i.e., 15 sessions) tDCS on these variables.Results: Relative to sham tDCS, short-term anodal tDCS did not influence ad libitum intake of food from the vending machines. Accordingly, no effect on short-term or 4-wk weight change was observed. In the anodal tDCS group, compared with the sham group, VAS ratings for hunger and the urge to eat declined significantly more (P = 0.01 and P = 0.05, respectively), and total energy intake during an SFTT was relatively lower in satiated individuals (P = 0.01), after long-term tDCS.Conclusions: Short-term anodal tDCS of the left DLPFC did not have an immediate effect on ad libitum food intake or thereby weight change, relative to sham tDCS. Hunger and snack food intake were reduced only after a longer period of anodal tDCS in individuals with obesity. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00739362.

Project description:This study reports the evolution of phenolics, inulin content, proximate composition, hardness, and sensory characteristics of an inulin-rich healthy snack bar (The Sunroot Snack Bar) over 90 days of storage in refrigerated and room temperature storage. A response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite rotatable design was first employed for optimizing the concentrations of sunroot, potato, and oats. The optimum selected concentrations of sunroot, potato, and oat were 53.99, 37.88, and 5 g, respectively, and a quadratic model was found to yield the best fit. Analysis of variance revealed that a higher sunroot content resulted in more firmness of the bar and higher overall acceptability in sensory trials. Sunroot snack bar samples without flavor (control), sunroot snack bar with cheese flavor (S1), and sunroot snack bar with olive flavor (S2) were then tested for sensory, chemical, phytochemicals, and microbial contents among control, S1, and S2 samples over a 90-day shelf-life study. Results showed no significant (p < .05) changes in these contents on addition of flavor. An increase in microbial load and the appearance of a bitter taste after 30 days of fresh sunroot storage were observed. No microbial growth was observed in all sunroot snack bar samples during storage at 4°C, while some microbial growth was observed at 25°C for 90 days. It was inferred that the high-quality shelf life of the sunroot bar was 90 days at 4°C, which was shortened to a month if the bars were preserved at 25°C. There was a significant phenolic and inulin content loss at 25°C compared with 4°C in total phenolic component. Based on the results of sensory evaluation, online questionnaire of customer experience, and cost analysis, this study successfully used sunroot tubers for the production of snack bars as a promising new raw material, which was introduced healthily with a suitable price for such product compared with other products in the market.

Dataset Information

Predicted DRD4 prefrontal gene expression moderates snack intake and stress perception in response to the environment in adolescents.

Publications

Predicted DRD4 prefrontal gene expression moderates snack intake and stress perception in response to the environment in adolescents.

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