Associate Professor Christine Jasoni, EDOR researcher in the Department of Anatomy, investigates the effects of obesity during pregnancy on the developing brain. Obesity during pregnancy has an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and obesity in the offspring, and Dr Jasoni has been studying this in overweight pregnant mice to understand the processes that mediate this effect.
These studies are more difficult to do in the human population, as there are so many factors that can influence the results. The mice used in this study are genetically identical, which allows the effect of changes in weight and diet to be more easily identified.
"We can look strictly at the environmental influences, rather than the genetic influences, so we can piece together that part of the puzzle"
Dr Jasoni and her group have found that the blood-brain barrier in the offspring of obese mice was more leaky than it should be, potentially altering the signals the brain receives from compounds in the blood. Changes in the area of the brain that controls hunger, as well as an increase in inflammation, were also found.
Information from the studies in mice can be used to pinpoint areas of interest to investigate in human populations, says Dr Jasoni. "Once we get a better idea of what's going on, then it could be something we can look for in people."
Read the news article
Obesity in pregnancy affects baby's brain, Stuff website, 18 September, 2015
