Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Neuroscience
  • About
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Mental Health

Gene loss creates eating disorder-related behaviors in mice

by University of Iowa
April 25, 2015
in Mental Health
Photo credit: NIMH

Photo credit: NIMH

Share on TwitterShare on Facebook
Follow PsyPost on Google News

Building on their discovery of a gene linked to eating disorders in humans, a team of researchers at the University of Iowa has now shown that loss of the gene in mice leads to several behavioral abnormalities that resemble behaviors seen in people with anorexia nervosa.

The team, led by Michael Lutter, MD, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry in the UI Carver College of Medicine, found that mice that lack the estrogen-related receptor alpha (ESRRA) gene are less motivated to seek out high-fat food when they are hungry and have abnormal social interactions. The effect was stronger in female mice, which also showed increased obsessive-compulsive-like behaviors.

The study also shows that ESRRA levels are controlled by energy status in the mice. Restricting calorie intake to 60 percent of normal over several days significantly increased levels of ESRRA in the brains of normal mice.

“Decreased calorie intake usually motivates animals, including humans, to seek out high-calorie food. These findings suggest that loss of ESRRA activity may disrupt that response,” Lutter says.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are common and severe mental illnesses. Lutter notes that although 50 to 70 percent of the risk of getting an eating disorder is inherited, identifying the genes that mediate this risk has proven difficult.

ESRRA is a transcription factor – a gene that turns on other genes. Lutter and his colleagues previously found that a mutation that reduces ESRRA activity is associated with an increased risk for eating disorders in human patients. Although ESRRA is expressed in many brain regions that are disrupted in anorexia, almost nothing was known about its function in the brain. In the new study, published online April 9 in the journal Cell Reports, Lutter’s team manipulated ESRRA in mice to investigate the gene’s role in behavior.

“This work identifies estrogen-related receptor alpha as one of the genes that is likely to contribute to the risk of getting anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa,” Lutter says. “Clearly social factors, particularly the western ideal of thinness, contribute the remaining ‘non-genetic’ risk, and the increasing rate of eating disorders over the past several decades is likely due to social factors, not genetics,” he adds.

Through a series of experiments with genetically engineered mice, Lutter and his team showed that mice without the ESRRA gene have behavioral abnormalities related to eating and social behavior. In particular, mice without ESRRA show reduced effort to work for high-fat food when they are hungry. The mice also exhibited impaired social interaction and female mice without the gene show increased compulsive grooming, which may mimic obsessive-compulsive-type behavior in humans.

In order to refine their understanding of the effects of ESRRA in the brain, the researchers selectively removed the gene from particular brain regions that have been associated with eating disorders. They found that removing the gene from the orbitofrontal cortex was associated with increased obsessive-compulsive-type behaviors in female mice, while loss of ESRRA from the prefrontal cortex produced mice that were less willing to work to get high-fat food when they were hungry.

These new findings may point to particular neural circuits that could be targets to treat abnormal behaviors associated with eating disorders.

“Mouse models of human neuropsychiatric illnesses are useful for identifying cellular and molecular abnormalities that might contribute to illnesses like eating disorders,” Lutter says. “They are also useful for screening new medications. We plan to start testing novel treatments for anorexia nervosa to see if they reverse behavioral problems in our mice.”

TweetSendScanShareSendPinShareShareShareShareShare

RELATED

Exposure to heavy metals is associated with higher likelihood of ADHD diagnosis
ADHD

Exposure to heavy metals is associated with higher likelihood of ADHD diagnosis

June 23, 2025

Researchers in Spain have identified a potential link between certain heavy metals in urine and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children. High levels of copper and cadmium were associated with inattention, while copper and antimony related to hyperactivity-impulsivity.

Read moreDetails
Chronic stress can alter genetic material in sperm, leading to changes in offspring behavior
Mental Health

A common parasite not only invades the brain — it can also decapitate human sperm

June 22, 2025

A new study finds that a widespread parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, can physically damage human sperm, including decapitating them on contact. The findings raise fresh questions about the parasite’s potential role in the decades-long global decline in male fertility.

Read moreDetails
Loss of empathy in frontotemporal dementia traced to weakened brain signals
Depression

New neuroscience research reveals brain antioxidant deficit in depression

June 22, 2025

A new meta-analysis suggests that people with major depressive disorder have lower levels of the brain antioxidant glutathione in the occipital cortex. The findings highlight a possible role for oxidative stress in depression and point to potential treatment targets.

Read moreDetails
Scientists uncover kidney-to-brain route for Parkinson’s-related protein spread
Neuroimaging

Scientists uncover kidney-to-brain route for Parkinson’s-related protein spread

June 22, 2025

A groundbreaking study suggests that Parkinson’s disease may begin in the kidneys, where a toxic protein builds up and travels to the brain. This discovery could reshape our understanding of the disease’s origins and risk factors.

Read moreDetails
Gut-brain connection: Proinflammatory bacteria linked to hippocampal changes in depression
Depression

Scientists reveal a surprising link between depression and microbes in your mouth

June 21, 2025

Lower diversity in the oral microbiome was linked to higher depressive symptoms in a large U.S. sample, with especially strong associations among men and non-Hispanic Whites. Differences in microbial composition were also observed between depressed and non-depressed individuals.

Read moreDetails
Loneliness is associated with a 31% higher risk of developing dementia, finds largest study to date
Dementia

Dementia: Tactile decline may signal early cognitive impairment

June 21, 2025

Touch-related sensory decline could offer early clues to cognitive problems, according to a recent review. The findings point to tactile impairments as possible predictors of memory loss and dementia, offering new directions for early detection and prevention.

Read moreDetails
Self-compassion training and relaxation training are equally effective at reducing social anxiety symptoms, study finds
Anxiety

Anxiety and anger may explain how parenting styles shape life satisfaction

June 21, 2025

Parental bonding may influence happiness well into adulthood, according to a new study. Italian researchers found that overprotective parenting predicted greater anxiety, while caring parenting supported healthier anger control—both of which played roles in shaping overall life satisfaction.

Read moreDetails
Bacteria in water, 3d illustration
Mental Health

Gut bacteria may play a causal role in obsessive-compulsive disorder, study suggests

June 20, 2025

A new study suggests that certain gut bacteria may influence the risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Using Mendelian randomization, researchers identified specific microbial taxa that appear to protect against or increase OCD symptoms.

Read moreDetails

SUBSCRIBE

Go Ad-Free! Click here to subscribe to PsyPost and support independent science journalism!

STAY CONNECTED

LATEST

Exposure to heavy metals is associated with higher likelihood of ADHD diagnosis

Eye-tracking study shows people fixate longer on female aggressors than male ones

Romantic breakups follow a two-stage decline that begins years before the split, study finds

Believing “news will find me” is linked to sharing fake news, study finds

A common parasite not only invades the brain — it can also decapitate human sperm

Almost all unmarried pregant women say that the fetus resembles the father, study finds

New neuroscience research reveals brain antioxidant deficit in depression

Scientists uncover kidney-to-brain route for Parkinson’s-related protein spread

         
       
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and Conditions
[Do not sell my information]

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy