Neonatal mice exposed to a high-fat diet in utero influence the behaviour of their nursing dam

Abstract

The behaviour of a nursing dam influences the development, physiology, and behaviour of her offspring. Maternal behaviours can be modulated both by environmental factors, including diet, and by physical or behavioural characteristics of the offspring. In most studies of the effects of the environment on maternal behaviour, F 0 dams nurse their own F 1 offspring. Because the F 1 are indirectly exposed to the environmental stressor in utero in these studies, it is not possible to differentiate between effects on maternal behaviour from direct exposure of the dam and those mediated by changes in the F 1 as a consequence of in utero exposure. In this study, we used a mouse model of high-fat (HF) diet feeding, which has been shown to influence maternal behaviours, combined with cross-fostering to discriminate between these effects. We tested whether the diet of the F 0 dam or the exposure experienced by the F 1 pups in utero is the most significant predictor of maternal behaviour. Neither factor significantly influenced pup retrieval behaviours. However, strikingly, F 1 in utero exposure was a significant predictor of maternal behaviour in the 15 min immediately following pup retrieval while F 0 diet had no discernable effect. Our findings suggest that in utero exposure to HF diet programmes physiological changes in the offspring which influence the maternal behaviours of their dam after birth.

Zac1 and the Imprinted Gene Network program juvenile NAFLD in response to maternal metabolic syndrome

“…[ 39 ] However, in a previous study exploiting the same cross‐fostering model described here, we demonstrated that maternal diet had no direct effect on care behavior, and that maternal care was predominantly driven by the in utero environment experienced by the F1 offspring. [ 40 ] Given that Ct‐MetS mice presenting with NAFLD were born to Ct dams and therefore did not experience an adverse in utero environment, we do not expect maternal behavior to be a significant mechanism in the observed programming of NAFLD. Further studies will be required to determine the nature of the signal that activates Zac1 expression in the F1 liver.…”

Mechanisms of Maternal Diet-Induced Obesity Affecting the Offspring Brain and Development of Affective Disorders

“…Moreover, evidence from another study suggests that an obese phenotype (significant weight gain) rather than high-fat diet exposure alone is required to adversely impact offspring neurodevelopment and behaviour [ 13 ]. A third study [ 14 ] using inbred mice showed that the dams of neonatal mice exposed to a high-fat diet in utero were less interactive than neonates exposed to a control diet. Using a cross-fostering design, this was demonstrated to be independent of the mothers’ diet, instead suggesting a role of offspring physiological changes that cue maternal interaction with pups.…”

Neurobiological Mechanisms Modulating Emotionality, Cognition and Reward-Related Behaviour in High-Fat Diet-Fed Rodents

“…HFD consumption during pre- and post-partum periods, two metabolically challenging periods, produced mixed changes in the gestational body weight, but generally increased adiposity and induced hyperleptinemia in dams (see Supplementary Table S1 ). The behavioural profile of the dams showed that maternal HFD had a negative impact on maternal behaviour, especially regarding nest building and pup licking/grooming [ 80 , 81 ].…”