Reconceptualization of Eating Addiction and Obesity as Displacement Behavior and a Possible Treatment

Purpose: Displacement behavior is a bio-behavioral mechanism that allows an animal to deal with situations that cannot readily be faced nor avoided, or that are thwarting. It may explain compulsive overeating (eating addiction). Resembling addiction, displacement behavior is irrepressible behavior that is contextually inappropriate, e.g., sleeping or feeding when threatened by a predator, or binge eating in response to a work altercation. It is thought to be due to rechanneling of overflow brain energy to another drive (e.g., feeding drive) when two drives, e.g., fight or flight, equally oppose each other. Moving the opposing drives out of equilibrium, by resolving the person’s underlying problem/stressful situations, theoretically should mitigate the displacement mechanism and addictive overeating. Methods: We developed a mobile phone intervention targeting addictive overeating, including a displacement mechanism component. A displacement use subgroup (N=37) ages 14-24 with obesity (mean BMI= 38.1) identified life situations they could neither face nor avoid, or that were thwarting them, and developed action plans to address each situation. Feasibility and acceptability were evaluated. Results: Participants found the displacement component to be understandable and user-friendly. The majority (26/37 – 70%) used the core “Dread List” feature to input 90 individual dreaded/problem situations fueling displacement-based overeating, coupled with action plans to address each problem. Conclusion: The displacement mechanism may be a useful basis for treatment of eating addiction and obesity, and may provide individuals with hope that they can curb their addiction without relying on willpower to not overeat. A randomized trial evaluating the displacement intervention is planned.

Bacteroides uniformis CECT 7771 Modulates the Brain Reward Response to Reduce Binge Eating and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Rat

Food addiction (FA) is characterized by behavioral and neurochemical changes linked to loss of food intake control. Gut microbiota may influence appetite and food intake via endocrine and neural routes. The gut microbiota is known to impact homeostatic energy mechanisms, but its role in regulating the reward system is less certain. We show that the administration of Bacteroides uniformis CECT 7771 (B. uniformis) in a rat FA model impacts on the brain reward response, ameliorating binge eating and decreasing anxiety-like behavior. These effects are mediated, at least in part, by changes in the levels of dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline in the nucleus accumbens and in the expression of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the prefrontal cortex and intestine. B. uniformis reverses the fasting-induced microbiota changes and increases the abundance of species linked to healthy metabolotypes. Our data indicate that microbiota-based interventions might help to control compulsive overeating by modulating the reward response.

Reassessment of the involvement of Snord115 in the serotonin 2c receptor pathway in a genetically relevant mouse model

SNORD115 has been proposed to promote the activity of serotonin (HTR2C) receptor via its ability to base pair with its pre-mRNA and regulate alternative RNA splicing and/or A-to-I RNA editing. Because SNORD115 genes are deleted in most patients with the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), diminished HTR2C receptor activity could contribute to the impaired emotional response and/or compulsive overeating characteristic of this disease. In order to test this appealing but never demonstrated hypothesis in vivo, we created a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Snord115 knockout mouse. Surprisingly, we uncovered only modest region-specific alterations in Htr2c RNA editing profiles, while Htr2c alternative RNA splicing was unchanged. These subtle changes, whose functional relevance remains uncertain, were not accompanied by any discernible defects in anxio-depressive-like phenotypes. Energy balance and eating behavior were also normal, even after exposure to high-fat diet. Our study raises questions concerning the physiological role of SNORD115, notably its involvement in behavioural disturbance associated with PWS.

Re-assessment of the involvement of Snord115 in the serotonin 2C receptor pathway in a genetically relevant mouse model

SNORD115 has been proposed to promote the activity of serotonin (HTR2C) receptor via its ability to base-pair with its pre-mRNA and regulate alternative RNA splicing and/or A-to-I RNA editing. Because SNORD115 genes are deleted in most patients with the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), diminished HTR2C receptor activity could contribute to the impaired emotional response and/or compulsive overeating characteristic of this disease. In order to test this appealing but never demonstrated hypothesis in vivo, we created a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Snord115 knockout mouse. Surprisingly, we uncovered only modest region-specific alterations in Htr2c RNA editing profiles while Htr2c alternative RNA splicing was unchanged. These subtle changes, whose functional relevance remains uncertain, were not accompanied by any discernible defects in anxio-depressive-like phenotypes. Energy balance and eating behaviour were also normal, even after exposure to high fat diet. Our study raises questions concerning the physiological role of SNORD115, notably its involvement in behavioural disturbance associated with PWS.

DETECTION OF EATING DISORDERS RISKS AMONG 12TH GRADE STUDENTS

The attitude to the healthy eating and eating habits takes its roots in the family. When becoming a grown-up, a person prefers eating the favorite and habitual food. It depends only on a person’s own choice to observe the basic laws of the healthy eating and keeping to them and in this way to support own health. As opposed to healthy, balanced, diversified, regular and sufficient amount of food there are the strategies that can cause eating disorders if to follow them. Among such disorders might be neurotic anorexia, neurotic bulimia, compulsive overeating and other unspecified eating disorders. The prevalence of eating disorders nowadays is connected with the influence of increased stress, an enlarged information load, an awareness of modern beauty standards as a result, eating disorders risks are increasing. Prompt information and provision of knowledge for teachers, parents and students on eating disorders prevalence, manifestation and the importance of timely recognition for successful treatment is the most important element of preventive measures. The topicality of the research on eating disorders among students is justified by the fact that the early detection of students’ eating disorders can promote timely recognition of the problem and the beginning of treatment reducing serious physical and psychological complications and even fatal cases. The primary goal of this research was to find out eating disorders risks among the 12th grade students. The second goal was to determine eating disorders risks among the 12th grade students due to the gender differences of students. To gain the results of the research the quantitative research method with the research tool – EAT-26 test (Garner et al., 1982) was used. Two hundreds of the 12th grade students were involved into the research as respondents. The results of the survey show that the 5th part of the respondents have got eating disorders risks indicators. There are statistically significant differences between men and women (р<0.001).

Psychosocial factors of binge-eating: a meta-analytical study

The results of meta-analysis of constitutional-biological, personal, microsocial and somatogenic factors of binge-eating are discussed in this paper. The meta-analysis involved 38 studies published in English language between 2000 and 2016. The random effects model was chosen for meta-analysis and the following methods were used: Pearson correlation coefficient (r) and Fisher’s Z-test. As additional procedures, an I2- test was conducted to assess the homogeneity of the studies, a publication bias analysis to level the error of unpublished data, and a «trim-and-fill» test. As a result of the meta-analysis, the leading psychosocial factors, influencing the formation and development of compulsive overeating were identified — these are depressive symptoms, negative affect, perception of body image, stress and personal predictors (anxiety, temper, impulsiveness, reduced level of emotional intelligence, psychological rigidity). However, no significant gender differences were found.