EXPRESSION OF NEUROTROPHINS IN BRAIN REGIONS OF ANOREXIA NERVOSA MOUSE MODEL: A GOOD BIOMARKER?

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex mental disorder characterized by a voluntary food restriction leading to dramatic weight loss. Neurotrophic factors play a key role in the proliferation, survival and differentiation of cells in the brain. Alterations in neurotrophins, including the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), have been observed in patients with AN. In animals, BDNF negatively affects the central control of food intake and injecting it induces weight loss. Therefore, neurotrophins and their receptors are promising candidates for AN biomarkers for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Our goal is to identify the levels of neurotrophic and receptor gene expression in different brain areas of the AN-like mouse model. Female mice with an AN-like phenotype were developed with two weeks of chronic food restriction (50%), followed by a one-week ad libitum refeeding period, to mimic the experience of patients with AN during restriction and recovery after hospitalization. The mRNA levels of Bdnf, TrkB, Ngf, NtF3 and Ntf5 were measured by quantitative PCR in the prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus and dorsal striatum. A significant decrease in the expression of the Bdnf, Ngf and Ntf5 genes was observed in the food-restricted groups in the dorsal striatum. Significant differences in expression are expected in the other brain regions between food-restricted and ad libitum animals. Neurotrophic expression may represent potential AN biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. This would also improve our understanding of the aetiology of AN. This work is supported by Fédération Recherche sur le Cerveau and IRESP.