Sex-specific decision-making impairments and striatal dopaminergic changes after binge drinking history in rats

Binge drinking (BD) is a harmful behavior for health and is a predictive factor for the development of alcohol addiction. Weak decision-making (DM) capacities could play a role in the vulnerability to BD which in turn would lead to DM impairments, thus perpetuating BD. Longitudinal preclinical studies are however lacking and necessary to understand this complex relationship. Both DM and BD are influenced by sex and involve dopamine release in the core of the nucleus accumbens, a central mechanism regulated by dopamine D2/3 autoreceptors. In this context, we used an operant self-administration procedure of BD in male and female rats, and longitudinally assessed DM capacity, memory and anxiety-like behavior. To better understand the mechanisms potentially involved in the relationship between DM and BD, ex vivo dopamine transmission was assessed short term after the end of the binge exposure in the core of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) using the fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) technique and the D2/3 agonist quinpirole. We found important basal sex differences in DM, with female rats showing better performances at baseline. Choice processes were impaired exclusively in males after BD history, associated with a decrease in impulse control in both sexes, while memory and anxiety-like behavior were not affected. Our neurobiological results demonstrate that BD did not affect basal dopamine signaling in the NAc core, regardless of the sex, but reveal changes in the sensitivity to the inhibitory effects of quinpirole in females. DM impairments were neither associated with changes in basal dopamine signaling nor pre-synaptic D2 activity. Overall, our findings show that BD affects both DM processes and dopamine transmission in the core of the NAc in a sex-related manner, further suggesting that these effects may play a role in the vicious cycle leading to BD perpetuation and the early onset of AUD. Our results may inform novel strategies for therapeutic and prevention interventions

Contribution of impulsivity, and emotion dysregulation in overconsumption of food and alcohol

Notre travail de thèse a consisté à analyser finement l’impact de deux processus psychopathologiques majeurs que sont l’impulsivité et la dysrégulation des émotions sur les consommations excessives d’aliments décrites dans l’obésité et dans l’hyperphagie boulimique (BED), et sur les consommations excessives d’alcool décrites dans le cadre du binge-drinking. Ainsi, au sein de deux populations de patients souffrant d’obésité avec ou sans BED et éligibles à une chirurgie bariatrique, nos résultats suggèrent que l’alimentation pourrait être un moyen de gérer les émotions négatives et/ou les pensées intrusives, en plus de résulter d'un mécanisme associé à la dépression. Nos résultats suggèrent également que les patients souffrant de BED présentent un accès limité à l'utilisation flexible de stratégies de régulation des émotions et que leurs comportements alimentaires pourraient être vus comme étant des stratégies développées afin de faire face à des émotions mal contrôlées. Dans le cadre du binge-drinking évalué dans une population de jeunes adultes âgés de 18 ans à 25 ans, nos résultats suggèrent que la consommation d’alcool pourrait être un moyen de faire face à des émotions en plus d’être favorisée par le contexte social. De plus, nous résultats sont en faveur de l’hypothèse d’une psychopathologie sous-jacente différente en lien avec le polymorphisme Val66Met du BDNF. Ainsi, l’impulsivité et la régulation des émotions sont des processus à prendre en compte afin de développer des stratégies de prise en charge et de prévention efficaces qui permettraient de limiter les conséquences négatives de telles consommations excessives.Our thesis work consisted of a detailed analysis of the impact of two major psychopathological processes, namely impulsivity and emotion dysregulation, on the excessive food consumptions described in obesity and binge-eating disorder (BED), and on the excessive alcohol consumptions described in binge-drinking. In two bariatric surgery populations of obese patients with and without BED, our results suggest that eating may be a means of managing negative emotions and/or intrusive thoughts, in addition of being a depression-associated mechanism. Our results also suggest that patients with BED have limited access to flexible use of emotion regulation strategies and that their eating behaviours could be seen as strategies developed to cope with poorly controlled emotions. In binge-drinking as assessed in a population of young adults aged 18-25 years, our results suggest that alcohol consumptions may be a means to cope with positive and negative emotions as well as being facilitated by the social context. Furthermore, our results support the hypothesis of a different underlying psychopathology in relation to the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism. Taken together, our results suggest that impulsivity and emotion regulation are processes that needed to be taken into account in order to develop effective treatment and prevention strategies that would limit the negative consequences of such excessive consumptions

Contributions of Emotional Overload, Emotion Dysregulation, and Impulsivity to Eating Patterns in Obese Patients with Binge Eating Disorder and Seeking Bariatric Surgery

Background: Binge eating disorder (BED) is very frequently observed in patients considered for weight loss surgery and seems to influence their outcome critically. Literature highlights a global emotional overload in individuals with BED, but little is known on the mechanisms involved. The present study aimed to focus on emotion regulation, impulsivity, depression, and anxiety in people with and without BED and fulfilling inclusion criteria for bariatric surgery. Doing so, we sought to individualize factors related to BED. Then, we examined the contribution of depression, anxiety, emotion regulation difficulties, and impulsivity to inappropriate eating behaviors observed in patients with BED. Methods: A sample of 121 individuals (79.3% female, mean age: 40.82 ± 9.26, mean current body mass index (BMI): 44.92 kg/m2 ± 7.55) seeking bariatric surgery were recruited at the Champagne Ardenne Specialized Center in Obesity in Reims, France from November 2017 to October 2018. They were stratified as with or without BED according to the binge eating scale. Characteristics identified in univariate analyses as differentiating the two groups were then included in multivariable analyses. Results: Multivariable analyses showed that limited access to emotional regulation strategies was significantly associated with BED. Furthermore, inappropriate eating behaviors were independently associated with age, depression severity, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, and impulsivity in BED group. Conclusions: The present findings are indicative of an association between emotion deficit and BED in obese patients seeking bariatric surgery. Patients with BED could benefit from the addition of an emotion regulation intervention

Etude des dimensions de tempérament à l'aide du TCI chez des apparentés sains de patients alcoolo-dépendants en comparaison à des témoins sains

REIMS-BU Santé (514542104) / SudocSudocFranceF

Épisodes d’agitation et d’hallucinations dans les suites d’une intoxication aux tricycliques : à partir de deux cas cliniques

International audienc

Hétérogénéité des déterminants du comportement de binge drinking : arguments en faveur d’une typologie

International audienc

Body misperception: A complex, multifaceted issue to be taken into consideration in obesity

International audienceBody misperception could predispose to obesity, by masking excess weight and/or hunger and satiety signals, and by promoting emotional eating and difficulties engaging in physical activity. Thus, it may also be an obstacle to the management of persons with obesity. This narrative review describes the different types of troubles of the relationship with the body that can be encountered in obese subjects, and groups them into three main categories, namely: silhouette distortion, alteration of internal bodily signals pertaining to food, and impaired perception of interoceptive input. Each of these categories is detailed in terms of its clinical phenotypes and potential mechanisms involved. The therapeutic challenges posed by these various disorders are also developed, as well as the limitations of the main instruments available to identify them. The authors conclude that body misperception should be systematically investigated in the clinical management of obesity

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism and its implication in executive functions in adult offspring of alcohol-dependent probands

International audienc

Contributing roles of depression, anxiety, and impulsivity dimensions in eating behaviors styles in surgery candidates

International audienceAbstract Background Even if bariatric surgery is considered the most effective therapeutic approach, it is not equally successful among individuals suffering from severe obesity and candidates for this weight loss surgery. Among the factors that influence postsurgical outcomes, eating behaviors styles are known to play a key role in relapses. The aim of our study was to assess eating behaviors styles and several modulating psychopathological factors in patients suffering from severe obesity. Methods Patients seeking bariatric surgery (N = 127) completed a set of standardized tools assessing eating behaviors (Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire), comorbid psychiatric conditions (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview), depression, and anxiety scores (Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), and impulsivity scores (UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale). Results We detected significant correlations between DEBQ Emotional Eating (EmoE) and depression, state and trait anxiety, and all dimensions of impulsivity. Significant correlations were also present between DEBQ External Eating (ExtE) and depression, state and trait anxiety and UPPS-P positive urgency, lack of perseverance and sensation seeking. Regression analyses identified sex (female), trait anxiety, and lack of perseverance as explanatory factors for EmoE, and depression severity score and positive urgency for ExtE. Conclusions EmoE might be a means of dealing with negative emotions and/or intrusive thoughts, while ExtE might result from a mechanism associated with depression. These results should help to improve patients’ outcomes by defining specific therapeutic targets in psychological interventions. Plain English summary After bariatric surgery, some patients regain weight. This is likely due to various factors, including a return of maladaptive eating styles, such as emotional eating (which occurs as a response to negative emotions, like depression, anxiety, anger, sadness, and discouragement), external eating (which refers to the tendency to eat in response to positive external cues, regardless of internal signals of hunger and satiety), and restraint eating (implying to make efforts to develop and maintain strategies to control calories intake, associated with weight loss after lifestyle intervention). Our goal in this research project was to explore associated factors (particularly depression, anxiety, and impulsivity) to these eating styles in patients suffering from obesity prior to bariatric surgery. Individuals seeking bariatric surgery were asked questions about their eating styles and their levels of depression, anxiety, and impulsivity using standardized questionnaires. We found that emotional eating might be a means of dealing with negative emotions and/or intrusive thoughts (e.g. about food or body dissatisfaction), while external eating might result from a mechanism associated with depression. We detected no association between restraint eating and any of the dimensions of impulsivity, nor depression and anxiety. Therapies aimed at improving patients’ abilities to regulate negative affects seem promising among subjects suffering from obesity and those seeking bariatric surgery. If well learned, these therapies might also help them to maintain weight loss after surgery by limiting maladaptive eating styles