Bonding is Important in Early Life for Normal Appetite

Byron's Comments:

Nursing stimulates oxytocin that modulates feeding behavior. Breaking the bond between mother and child is likely to wreak havoc in the core development pathway of appetite circuitry.

Study Title:

Neuropeptide Y mediates the initial hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response to maternal separation in the neonatal mouse.

Study Abstract:

The function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis of the neonatal mouse or rat is characterized by a period of quiescence, where mild stimuli are unable to elicit a pronounced increase in circulating corticosterone. A disruption of this period by maternal separation has been shown to result in a variety of long-term consequences, including neuroendocrine and behavioral disturbances. We have recently shown that peripheral metabolic markers like glucose or ghrelin are altered by maternal separation and that these changes precede the effects on corticosterone secretion. In the current study, we investigated whether the initial activation of the HPA axis is mediated via neuropeptide Y (NPY). To test this hypothesis, we studied the effects of an 8 h maternal separation in NPY-deficient mice. In addition, we compared the effect of the genotype with the previously described pharmacological effect of a ghrelin receptor antagonist. We could show that the peripheral response to maternal separation is decreased in NPY heterozygous and homozygous animals. In addition, maternal separation effects on corticotropin releasing hormone and glucocorticoid receptor expression in the brain were prevented in NPY-deficient pups. These effects were similar to a pharmacological ghrelin receptor blockade. We conclude that metabolic signals via an NPY-mediated pathway play a crucial role in activating the stress system of the neonatal mouse.

Study Information:

Schmidt MV, Liebl C, Sterlemann V, Ganea K, Hartmann J, Harbich D, Alam S, Müller MB. Neuropeptide Y mediates the initial hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response to maternal separation in the neonatal mouse. J Endocrinol. 2008 May 197(2):421-7.
Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, RG Molecular Stress Physiology, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany.