Author: Amy Albin
Publication Date: May 2, 2012
This article from ScienceDaily discusses the possible cause of previously underweight babies becoming obese when they grow up. Based on an animal model study at UCLA, the pattern of underweight babies becoming obese in their adolescence may be connected to the amount of certain neuropeptides produced in the hypothalamus. Neuropeptides are small protein-like molecules which assist neuron signaling. The molecules connected to one's appetite tend to be found in higher amounts in low birth-weight babies. This results in a natural tendency among the effected children to take in more calories. According to Dr. Sherin Devaskar, the UCLA study's lead author, the brain signals calling for more calories may be caused by the need to make up for the lost nutrition for the baby in the womb. In the UCLA study with young model rodents (which are somewhat similar to small human babies), researchers observed that the neuropeptides that cause increased appetite were increased in the hypothalamus, while those that reduce appetite were decreased. Overall, the homeostatic balance of appetite-controlling neuropeptides was disrupted.
This article is connected to our studies of the brain, which is the key structure in the CNS. The brain is divided in to different regions, where different functions are controlled by the received, sorted, and delivered signals. The neuropeptides discussed in the article are found in the hypothalamus. Along with hunger, the hypothalamus helps regulate body temperature, blood pressure, thirst, and emotions.
Are there any medications or treatments being developed to try to control the amount of neuropeptides in a baby's hypothalamus?
ReplyDeleteI did not find any websites which talked about possible medications or treatments to control the amount of neuropeptides. I read in a different article that some babies become underweight in the first place because they do not get enough Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT), which is the fat that help newborns with temperature control (energy lost by heat without sufficient amount). So, I think a treatment could be to first make sure a baby gets enough BAT so it does not become underweight in the first place.
DeleteCan this tendency towards lower neuropeptide numbers be genetic? Might it be passed to the children of these low birth-weight babies?
ReplyDeleteWhile genes do code for neuropeptides, it is not clear whether or not this tendency can be genetic. Various tests have been done to try and find connections, but nothing has been concrete. My guess is that if there are patterns found in families with lower neuropeptide numbers, it would be more because of behavioral effects than genetic.
Delete