Teixeira Myrela Ribeiro, Silva Tamara, Felício Rafaela de Freitas Martins, Bozza Patrícia Torres, Zembrzuski Verônica Marques, de Mello Neto Cicero Brasileiro, da Fonseca Ana Carolina Proença, Kohlrausch Fabiana Barzotto, Salum Kaio Cezar Rodrigues
Human Genetics Laboratory, Department of General Biology, Institute of Biology, Federal Fluminense University, Professor Marcos Waldemar de Freitas Reis Street, Niterói, RJ 24210-201, Brazil; Human Genetics Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), 4365 Brazil Avenue, Leônidas Deane Pavilion, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21040-360, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Science and Biotechnology, Department of General Biology, Institute of Biology, Federal Fluminense University, Professor Marcos Waldemar de Freitas Reis Street, Niterói, RJ 24210-201, Brazil.
Genetics Laboratory, Grande Rio University/AFYA, Professor José de Souza Herdy Street, 1160 - Jardim Vinte e Cinco de Agosto, Duque de Caxias, RJ 25071-202, Brazil.
Behav Brain Res. 2025 Mar 5;480:115401. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115401. Epub 2024 Dec 15.
Obesity is a widespread global health concern that affects a significant portion of the population and is associated with reduced quality of life, morbidity, and mortality. It is considered a pandemic, with its prevalence constantly rising in Western countries. As a result, numerous studies have focused on understanding the elements that contribute to obesity. Researchers have focused on neurotransmitters in the brain to develop weight management drugs that regulate food intake. This review explores the literature on genetic influences on dopaminergic processes to determine whether genetic variation has an association with obesity in reward-responsive regions, including mesolimbic efferent and mesocortical areas. Various neurotransmitters play an essential role in regulating food intake, such as dopamine which controls through mesolimbic circuits in the brain that modulate food reward. Appetite stimulation, including primary reinforcers such as food, leads to an increase in dopamine release in the reward centers of the brain. This release is related to motivation and reinforcement, which determines the motivational weighting of the reinforcer. Changes in dopamine expression can lead to hedonic eating behaviors and contribute to the development of obesity. Genetic polymorphisms have been investigated due to their potential role in modulating the risk of obesity and eating behaviors. Therefore, it is crucial to assess the impact of genetic alterations that disrupt this pathway on the obesity phenotype.
肥胖是一个广泛存在的全球健康问题，影响着相当一部分人口，并与生活质量下降、发病率和死亡率相关。它被视为一种流行病，在西方国家其患病率持续上升。因此，众多研究聚焦于了解导致肥胖的因素。研究人员关注大脑中的神经递质，以开发调节食物摄入的体重管理药物。本综述探讨了关于遗传对多巴胺能过程影响的文献，以确定遗传变异在奖赏反应区域（包括中脑边缘传出和中脑皮质区域）是否与肥胖有关联。各种神经递质在调节食物摄入中起着至关重要的作用，例如多巴胺通过大脑中的中脑边缘回路控制，调节食物奖赏。食欲刺激，包括像食物这样的主要强化物，会导致大脑奖赏中心多巴胺释放增加。这种释放与动机和强化有关，它决定了强化物的动机权重。多巴胺表达的变化会导致享乐性饮食行为，并促使肥胖的发展。由于基因多态性在调节肥胖风险和饮食行为方面的潜在作用，已经对其进行了研究。因此，评估破坏该通路的基因改变对肥胖表型的影响至关重要。
