Washington: A new research has found a surprising connection between brain circuits involved in compulsive behaviour and obesity.
The University of Iowa-led researchers bred mice missing a gene known to cause obesity, and suspected to also be involved in compulsive behaviour, with a genetic mouse model of compulsive grooming.
The unexpected result was offspring that were neither compulsive groomers nor obese.
The study suggests that the brain circuits that control obsessive-compulsive behaviour are intertwined with circuits that control food intake and body weight.
The findings have implications for treating compulsive behaviour, which is associated with many forms of psychiatric disease, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD ), Tourette syndrome, and eating disorders.
The study is published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
ANI
