Favier M, Martin Garcia E, Icick R, de Almeida C, Jehl J, Desplanque M, Zimmermann J, Henrion A, Mansouri-Guilani N, Mounier C, Ribeiro S, Henderson F, Geoffroy A, Mella S, Poirel O, Bernard V, Fabre V, Li Y, Rosenmund C, Jamain S, Vorspan F, Mourot A, Duriez P, Pinhas L, Maldonado R, Pietrancosta N, Daumas S, El Mestikawy S. The human VGLUT3-pT8I mutation elicits uneven striatal DA signaling, food or drug maladaptive consumption in male mice. Nat Commun. 2024 Jul 7;15(1):5691. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49371-1. PMID: 38971801; PMCID: PMC11227582.
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“Working with mice, the researchers discovered that a deficit in the acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter in an area of the brain called the striatum, which is associated with the reward system, can lead to excessive habit formation and precipitate the compulsive self-starvation seen in people who suffer from anorexia nervosa.”
They investigated whether, “donepezil, a medication which is known to increase the presence of acetylcholine in the brain, could have an effect on these compulsive self-destructive behaviours.
““We found that it fully reversed the anorexia-like behaviour in mice, and we believe that it could potentially offer the first mechanism-based treatment of anorexia nervosa. In fact, we are already seeing its effects on some patients with the disease.”
Gabriella True
