INVESTIGATION OF THE OMEGA SUPPLEMENTATION ON DOPAMINERGIC SYSTEM AND BEHAVIOR IN MATERNAL OBESITY AND HIGH FAT DIET EXPOSED MICE

Date

2026-6-26

Author

Korkmaz, Berfin Diva

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This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of maternal high-fat diet (HFD) exposure on the mesolimbic dopaminergic system of offspring and the neuroprotective role of omega supplementation. To understand how continuous HFD exposure, dietary switch (CD), and omega supplementation program the mesolimbic system, a comprehensive behavioral test battery (hedonic eating tests, OFT, EPM, Y-maze, and LDB) was conducted in female and male C57BL/6J mice. mRNA expression analyses of dopaminergic markers (Drd1, Drd2, Dat, and Oprm1) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), striatum, and prefrontal cortex (PFC) were performed using qRT-PCR. The findings showed that sustained HFD exposure led to a marked anhedonia phenotype consistent with Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) in offspring. Females showed high baseline anxiety levels compared to males in behavioral tests, and no learning and memory disturbances were observed. At the molecular level, it was found that the suppression of striatal Dat expression in the HFD-HFD group disrupted synaptic dopamine clearance, increasing tonic dopamine levels and masking the phasic dopamine bursts required during reward reception (blunting). Female offspring also exhibited structurally lower Drd2 levels in the PFC compared to males, making females who underwent dietary change more vulnerable to binge eating. The neuroprotective effect of omega supplementation was dependent on the fat composition of the diet, only successful when combined with a control diet. In conclusion, maternal exposure to an HFD selectively reprograms the brains of offspring along the axes of anhedonia, with sex and dietary fat content altering the intensity and direction of these neuroadaptations.

Subject Keywords

maternal HFD, omega supplementation, hedonic eating, dopaminergic system, behavioral tests

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/119741

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis