Stressful Events in Early Life Lead to Aberrant Ghrelin and Appetite Regulation to Stress in Adulthood

Background. Stressful events in early life pre-dispose to the development of eating disorders in adulthood. This study investigates how neonatal maternal separation (NMS) affects satiety and ghrelin secretion in adulthood. Methods. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent NMS and controls were without NMS. Experiments were conducted on day 60: (1) water avoidance stress (WAS); (2) feeding after overnight fasting; (3) feeding after overnight fasting and WAS. Blood samples, gastric and hypothalamic tissues expression were collected for ghrelin analysis. Results. (1) MS rats had a higher basal ghrelin. After WAS, MS rats had enhanced ghrelin. (2) A higher initial calorie intake and lower postprandial gastric ghrelin protein in MS are observed without difference in overall calorie intake. (3) MS had symptoms of binge eating and early satiation. Overall reduction of calorie intake was observed until 48 hours in MS. Conclusion. Stressful events in early life led to aberrant ghrelin profile and early satiation in response to stressful experience in adulthood.