On this page we show you all research publications of the Eat2beNICE consortium. These publications report on the research output of the project. For each publication we provide a summary or the publication’s abstract. If you want to read the full article, you can click on the link below the summary or abstract. For PDFs of our own press releases about progress within the Eat2beNICE project please go to DOWNLOADS. To receive our project newsletter please subscribe here!
On: 10 August 2021
Breastfeeding, diet quality and impulsive behavior of toddlers
We wanted to know whether breastfeeding duration and diet quality predicts impulsive behavior in toddlers. While breastfeeding might play a role in the development of child impulse control, its role has only been investigated in relation to ADHD and cognition. Moreover, we don’t know much yet about the role of diet on preschoolers’ impulsivity.
On: 8 July 2021
Gut microbiota signature in treatment-naïve attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder
Compelling evidence supports alterations in gut microbial diversity, bacterial composition, and/or relative abundance of several bacterial taxa in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, findings for ADHD are inconsistent among studies, and specific gut microbiome signatures for the disorder remain unknown. Given that previous studies have mainly focused on the pediatric form of the disorder and involved small sample sizes, we conducted the largest study to date to compare the gastrointestinal microbiome composition in 100 medication-naïve adults with ADHD and 100 sex-matched healthy controls.
On: 8 June 2021
Altered behaviour, dopamine and norepinephrine regulation in stressed mice heterozygous in TPH2 gene
Gene-environment interaction (GxE) determines the vulnerability of an individual to a spectrum of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Increased impulsivity, excessive aggression, and other behavioural characteristics are associated with variants within the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (Tph2) gene, a key enzyme in brain serotonin synthesis. This phenotype is recapitulated in naïve mice with complete, but not with partial Tph2 inactivation.
On: 10 May 2021
Cadherin-13 is a critical regulator of GABAergic modulation in human stem-cell-derived neuronal networks
Activity in the healthy brain relies on a concerted interplay of excitation (E) and inhibition (I) via balanced synaptic communication between glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. A growing number of studies imply that disruption of this E/I balance is a commonality in many brain disorders; however, obtaining mechanistic insight into these disruptions, with translational value for the patient, has typically been hampered by methodological limitations. Cadherin-13 (CDH13) has been associated with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
On: 28 April 2021
Effects of psychosocial intervention on obesity and metabolic syndrome
This study examines if overweight/obesity are related to higher impulsivity, food addiction and depressive symptoms, and if these variables could be modified after 1 year of a multimodal intervention (diet, physical activity, psychosocial support). 342 adults (55–75 years) with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) from the PREDIMED-Plus Cognition study were randomized to the intervention or to the control group (lifestyle recommendations).
On: 27 April 2021
Eating disorders may increase depression, cognitive impairment and high BMI later in life
The main goal of this investigation was to explore the association between previous history of an eating disorder (i.e. anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder) with depression and cognitive impairments later in life. We were also interested in whether eating disorder increases the risk of metabolic syndrome later in life. The metabolic syndrome is characterized by several risk factors (such as hypertension, high values of triglycerides, and large waist circumference, among others) that can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cerebrovascular stroke.
On: 15 April 2021
Increased Oxidative Stress in the Prefrontal Cortex as a Shared Feature of Depressive- and PTSD-Like Syndromes: Effects of a Standardized Herbal Antioxidant
Major depression (MD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) share common brain mechanisms and treatment strategies. Nowadays, the dramatically developing COVID-19 situation unavoidably results in stress, psychological trauma, and high incidence of MD and PTSD. Hence, the importance of the development of new treatments for these disorders cannot be overstated.
On: 8 March 2021
Serotonin deficiency induced after brain maturation rescues consequences of early life adversity
Brain serotonin (5-HT) system dysfunction is implicated in depressive disorders and acute depletion of 5-HT precursor tryptophan has frequently been used to model the influence of 5-HT deficiency on emotion regulation. Tamoxifen (TAM)-induced Cre/loxP-mediated inactivation of the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 gene (Tph2) was used to investigate the effects of provoked 5-HT deficiency in adult mice (Tph2 icKO) previously subjected to maternal separation (MS). The efficiency of Tph2 inactivation was validated by immunohistochemistry and HPLC. The impact of Tph2 icKO in interaction with MS stress (Tph2 icKO × MS) on physiological parameters, emotional behavior and expression of 5-HT system-related marker genes were assessed.
On: 15 February 2021
DNA methylation associated with persistent ADHD suggests TARBP1 as novel candidate
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by age-inappropriate symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity. ADHD is highly prevalent in childhood and often persists into adulthood. Both genetic variants and environmental factors play a role in the onset and persistence of ADHD, and epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation are considered as a link for their interplay.
On: 9 February 2021
Serotonin-specific neurons differentiated from human iPSCs form distinct subtypes with synaptic protein assembly
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have revolutionized the generation of experimental disease models, but the development of protocols for the differentiation of functionally active neuronal subtypes with defined specification is still in its infancy. While dysfunction of the brain serotonin (5-HT) system has been implicated in the etiology of various neuropsychiatric disorders, investigation of functional human 5-HT specific neurons in vitro has been restricted by technical limitations.