High-fat diet in mice affects social behavior across generations

High-fat diet in mice affects social behavior across generations

The Scientist, October 27, 2022

A mother’s diet can have health impacts not only on her immediate offspring, but also on the next generation, a mouse study suggests. The findings highlight the importance of studying both sexes, said Shelly Buffington, a neuroscientist at the University of Texas Medical Branch and a coauthor of both the current study and the 2016 study. “We didn’t expect [the effect in females] because a lot of autism work has been done almost exclusively in male mice,” she said. “I think we’re missing many possible exciting discoveries by only focusing on males.” Buffington’s lab is developing new approaches to analyze female social behavior in mice.

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