From Nutritional\nPatterns to Behavior: High-Fat Diet\nInfluences on Inhibitory Control, Brain Gene Expression, and Metabolomics\nin Rats

Impulsive and compulsive behaviors are associated with\ninhibitory\ncontrol deficits. Diet plays a pivotal role in normal development,\nimpacting both physiology and behavior. However, the specific effects\nof a high-fat diet (HFD) on inhibitory control have not received adequate\nattention. This study aimed to explore how exposure to a HFD from\npostnatal day (PND) 33 to PND77 affects impulsive and compulsive behaviors.\nThe experiment involved 40 Wistar rats subjected to HFD or chow diets.\nSeveral tasks were employed to assess behavior, including variable\ndelay to signal (VDS), five choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT),\ndelay discounting task (DDT), and rodent gambling task (rGT). Genetic\nanalyses were performed on the frontal cortex, and metabolomics and\nfatty acid profiles were examined by using stool samples collected\non PND298. Our results showed that the HFD group exhibited increased\nmotor impulsive behaviors while not affecting cognitive impulsivity.\nSurprisingly, reduced impulsive decision-making was shown in the HFD\ngroup. Furthermore, abnormal brain plasticity and dopamine gene regulation\nwere shown in the frontal cortex, while metabolomics revealed abnormal\nfatty acid levels.