Poster #044
Investigating CCK Dependent Brain Activity Following Early High-Fat Diet
Mentors: Meaghan McCoy and Jason Perez; PI: Anna Kamitakahara, PhD
Obesity affects 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 5 children in the U.S., significantly increasing risk of life-threatening conditions like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Early life exposure to a high-fat diet (HFDEarly) significantly increases obesity risk. Previous studies demonstrated the impacts of HFDEarly on cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormone that regulates feeding behavior by sending signals from the gut to the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) in the brainstem. We hypothesize that HFDEarly hyperactivates NTS neurons in response to CCK, driving its effects on CCK-dependent feeding behavior. To test this, we injected control and HFDEarly mice with CCK, collected and sectioned their brains, and used immunofluorescence to stain for cFOS, a marker of neuronal activation, in the NTS. Preliminary data suggest that HFDEarly mice do indeed have increased neuronal activation in response to CCK, highlighting a potential mechanism through which HFDEarly modulates CCK-dependent regulation of feeding behavior.