In the course of the perinatal period, the maternal food regimen and behavior affect the developmental trajectory of the offspring. Several studies have indicated maternal depression and obesity enhance the danger of neuropsychiatric disease in offspring.

Recently, scientists reviewed the mechanisms related to the maternal microbiome, breast milk composition, maternal and placental metabolites, altered maternal care, and inflammation, which influences the brain development of the offspring. This review has been published in Metabolites.

Study: Mechanisms of Maternal Diet-Induced Obesity Affecting the Offspring Brain and Development of Affective Disorders. Image Credit: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

Obesity while pregnant 

Obesity is a metabolic disorder that’s prevalent globally. Nevertheless, this disorder may be prevented with lifestyle modification. In 2017, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists discovered that around 1 / 4 of pregnant women within the UK were obese. An identical obesity rate has been reported across continental Europe.

Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) is one other common occurrence while pregnant amongst women residing in Western countries, comparable to the USA and Australia, and the UK. Women with high BMI values before becoming pregnant are at an elevated risk of excessive GWG and retaining weight postpartum. Many pregnant women gain excessive weight due to high fat intake of their food regimen while pregnant.

Recently, researchers have investigated how maternal food regimen and obesity influence maternal and offspring behavior. These studies have shown that psychiatric diseases may be transmitted to offspring through poor maternal health during gestation and within the early phase of the newborn’s life.

Maternal obesity was directly related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), no matter birth weight. Pre-pregnancy obesity was linked with difficulties with emotional intensity in children. As well as, lots of these children experience several behavioral issues, comparable to dissociative disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and eating disorders.

Underlying aspects 

Scientists have identified among the aspects that influence the neurodevelopment and emotional behavior of kids. Animal studies using rodents and nonhuman primate (NHP) offsprings indicated how maternal peripartum high-fat food regimen affects the offspring’s brain and behavior. An in vivo rat model study revealed that expression of TLR4 and CD11b, that are markers for the central nervous system (CNS)-resident microglia, were considerably upregulated within the juvenile offspring of obese rats fed with a highly saturated fat food regimen.

Under normal circumstances, TLR4 is activated for strong pro-inflammatory responses to bacterial endotoxin. TLR4 activation mediates central inflammatory signaling and modifies brain metabolism. In comparison with the healthy control group, the basal level of IL-1β protein was found to be significantly increased within the hippocampus and periphery (liver) of the juvenile and adult offspring of high-fat food regimen (HFD)-fed dams. These alterations within the HFD-exposed offspring were linked to enhanced anxiety. As well as, maternal HFD (mHFD) consumption during gestation was found to extend anxiety-like behavior in juvenile female NHP offspring. Moreover, disturbances within the serotonergic system were observed together with a decrease within the cerebrospinal fluid levels of serotonin.

Ethological studies have indicated that Infant primates raised in absence of maternal care develop severe social deficits and get attached to inanimate objects that provide a way of comfort. In the course of the early postnatal period, maternal care or neglect plays an important role within the child’s neurodevelopment. Clinical studies have also shown the connection between child maltreatment and their altered neurobiology and behavior.

Preclinical studies have indicated among the mechanisms that mediate the effect of maternal neglect. The idea of fetal programming entails exposure to considerable neglect or other stressors throughout the early postnatal phase influences the kid’s brain development. Not much evidence has been documented regarding the effect of maternal-diet-induced obesity on the offspring’s behaviors.

Maternal obesity might affect an offspring’s brain and behavior as a result of changes within the maternal and offspring gut microbiome. Maternal gut dysbiosis induced by food regimen or antimicrobial treatment affects the offspring’s microbiome, which in turn influences offspring brain development and behavior. Microbial metabolites contribute to fetal nourishment, which is significant for the origins of immunity and neurodevelopment.

More research is required to totally understand how obesity-induced changes within the maternal microbiome influence offspring neurodevelopment and behavior. In most obese moms there may be a deficiency of Bifidobacteria spp. or Lactobacillus spp, which reduce helpful metabolites. 

Obesity is an inflammatory condition, which is related to a persistent increase in circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6). Several studies have indicated that obesity during gestation aggravates inflammation, which affects fetal development.

Human milk is extremely dynamic in composition. Human milk becomes fully mature after 4 to 6 weeks postpartum. It comprises essential nutrients and growth aspects for infant health and development. Maternal BMI impacts the general breast milk composition, which is related to the offspring’s psychopathology. Animal studies using mice have shown that maternal obesity during lactation can influence metabolic inflammation and precocious pubertal development within the offspring.

Conclusions

Appropriate dietary changes to enhance metabolic health might be helpful for ladies prior to, during, and after pregnancy. As well as, modification of maternal microbiota might be helpful in mitigating the danger of metabolic and/or mood disorders within the newborn. In the long run, personalized probiotic treatment might be designed, which might be helpful for each the mother and child.