Study of genetic, epigenetic and gut microbiota signatures involved in food addiction vulnerability

The easy access to hypercaloric and palatable foods is a major contributing factor for compulsive eating and food addiction development. The prevalence of food addiction measured with the validated Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0) increased in recent years. However, the precise neurobiological b...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: García Blanco, Alejandra
Tipo de recurso: tesis doctoral
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:CBUC, CESCA
Repositorio:TDR. Tesis Doctorales en Red
OAI Identifier:oai:www.tdx.cat:10803/688637
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10803/688637
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Food addiction
miRNAs
gut microbiota
prebiotics
CB2R
Adicción a la comida
microbiota intestinal
prebióticos
616.8
Descripción
Sumario:The easy access to hypercaloric and palatable foods is a major contributing factor for compulsive eating and food addiction development. The prevalence of food addiction measured with the validated Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0) increased in recent years. However, the precise neurobiological basis of food addiction is still unknown, obstructing the design of effective treatments. This thesis aims to investigate and characterize the signatures of food addiction vulnerability to discover diagnosis biomarkers and possible therapeutic interventions for this disease. As food addiction is a multifactorial disorder, we implemented a multidisciplinary approach and interrogated genetic, epigenetic and gut microbiota signatures. In order to accomplish this aim, we used a mouse operant model of food addiction, followed by small RNA sequencing, RNA-sequencing, and metagenomics sequencing. Once several signatures were identified, we further confirm their relationships with food addiction establishment and predisposition. We performed a functional validation by viral-mediated intervention, prebiotic treatment, or generation of genetically modified mice. The results of this thesis will provide new insights into mechanistic neurobiological correlates, epigenetic findings, and metagenomic signatures that will contribute to building novel preventive approaches and therapeutic interventions to battle food addiction disorder.