Researchers discover neural mechanism that controls food cravings during pregnancy

"There are many myths and popular beliefs about these cravings, although the neuronal mechanisms that cause them are not well understood," notes March Claret, Lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Barcelona and head of the IDIBAPS Neuronal Metabolic Control Group

Dopamine and compulsive eating behavior

According to the findings, female mice experienced changes in the brain's reward circuits, functional connectivity of taste and sensorimotor centers during pregnancy

The team observed increased levels of dopamine and the activity of its receptor D2R in the nucleus accumbens, a region of the brain involved in reward circuits

The research team, led by Claret and Haddad-Tóvolli, showed that persistent cravings have consequences for offspring

The findings of this study could help improve nutritional guidelines for pregnant women to ensure proper prenatal nutrition and prevent the development of disease

This project was funded by the European Research Council (ERC), provided by Marc Claret, and from the Marie Skåldowska-Curie Action Project, to researcher Roberta Haddad-Tóvolli

Journal Reference :

1. Haddad-Tóvolli, R.