Overweight and obesity are a worldwide health problem driven by augmentation of obesogenic environmental conditions. Diverse modern cultural features and personal lifestyles interfere with the vulnerable metabolic physiology, facilitate a positive energy balance and may ultimately lead to obesity. Among them: lack of exercise, propensity for palatable hyper-caloric diet and dysbiosis. Even environmental pollutions are key players. It is well known that an obese phenotype is commonly accompanied by hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension with high risks for diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. Moreover, there is increasing evidence that exposure to obesogenic environmental conditions at different stages of neurodevelopment, from intrauterine life to adolescence until aging, facilitate body weight gain through modulation of sensitive brain structures and functions. Depending upon life stage and intensity of exposure to various obesogenic conditions, these alterations may last throughout life. Consequently, the study of the interaction between obesogenic environmental conditions and neurodevelopment is critical, in particular to understand their influence on neuronal functions and neuroplasticity and consequently on human cognitive and emotional capabilities. Moreover, obese genotype is suggested to alter brain functions that contribute to the facilitation of neurodegenerative processes.
This Research Topic will focus on the link between
potentially harmful obesogenic environmental conditions and clinically relevant neurobiological mechanisms which cause alterations in brain development and neurodegenerative processes. As major pathways mediating these effects, environment-induced signaling to the brain as well as homeostatic and hedonic food intake regulatory brain systems will be addressed. The proposal is also open for reports on awareness for obesogenic environmental conditions and reviews on special aspects of the interaction of obesity and neuronal development in humans.
Overweight and obesity are a worldwide health problem driven by augmentation of obesogenic environmental conditions. Diverse modern cultural features and personal lifestyles interfere with the vulnerable metabolic physiology, facilitate a positive energy balance and may ultimately lead to obesity. Among them: lack of exercise, propensity for palatable hyper-caloric diet and dysbiosis. Even environmental pollutions are key players. It is well known that an obese phenotype is commonly accompanied by hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension with high risks for diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. Moreover, there is increasing evidence that exposure to obesogenic environmental conditions at different stages of neurodevelopment, from intrauterine life to adolescence until aging, facilitate body weight gain through modulation of sensitive brain structures and functions. Depending upon life stage and intensity of exposure to various obesogenic conditions, these alterations may last throughout life. Consequently, the study of the interaction between obesogenic environmental conditions and neurodevelopment is critical, in particular to understand their influence on neuronal functions and neuroplasticity and consequently on human cognitive and emotional capabilities. Moreover, obese genotype is suggested to alter brain functions that contribute to the facilitation of neurodegenerative processes.
This Research Topic will focus on the link between
potentially harmful obesogenic environmental conditions and clinically relevant neurobiological mechanisms which cause alterations in brain development and neurodegenerative processes. As major pathways mediating these effects, environment-induced signaling to the brain as well as homeostatic and hedonic food intake regulatory brain systems will be addressed. The proposal is also open for reports on awareness for obesogenic environmental conditions and reviews on special aspects of the interaction of obesity and neuronal development in humans.