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High-Fat Diet Exposure Increases Dopamine D2 Receptor and Decreases Dopamine Transporter Receptor Binding Density in the Nucleus Accumbens and Caudate Putamen of Mice

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Abstract

This experiment examined dopamine D2 receptor and its transporter (DAT) density in mice fed a high-fat or low-fat diet for twenty days as well as fed twenty days of high-fat diet then changed to low-fat diet for one and seven days. Quantitative autoradiography revealed that twenty days of high-fat diet consumption significantly increased D2 receptor and decreased DAT density in the dorsal and ventral parts of the caudal caudate putamen (D2: 32% and 35% respectively, DAT: 33.3% and 28.8% respectively) compared with low-fat diet. High-fat feeding also increased D2 binding in the nucleus accumbens shell (36%). D2 receptor and DAT density remained unchanged following reversal of the diets from high-fat to low-fat diet. The high-fat diet induced increase of D2 receptor and decrease of DAT binding may have occurred due to defensive control over dopaminergic activity in response to a positive energy balance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurobiology Research Centre for Metabolic and Psychiatric Disorders; Smart Food Centre, School of Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia

    Timothy South & Xu-Feng Huang

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  1. Timothy South
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  2. Xu-Feng Huang
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Correspondence to Xu-Feng Huang.

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South, T., Huang, XF. High-Fat Diet Exposure Increases Dopamine D2 Receptor and Decreases Dopamine Transporter Receptor Binding Density in the Nucleus Accumbens and Caudate Putamen of Mice. Neurochem Res 33, 598–605 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-007-9483-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-007-9483-x

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