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Neurobiological correlation between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and obesity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

A.M. Romão Franco ,
I. Cruz Da Fonseca ,
N. Ribeiro ,
V. Vila Nova  and
A. Gamito
A.M. Romão Franco*
Affiliation:
Psiquiatria E Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar de Setúbal, Setubal, Portugal
I. Cruz Da Fonseca
Affiliation:
Psiquiatria E Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar de Setúbal, Setubal, Portugal
N. Ribeiro
Affiliation:
Psiquiatria E Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar de Setúbal, Setubal, Portugal
V. Vila Nova
Affiliation:
Psiquiatria E Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar de Setúbal, Setubal, Portugal
A. Gamito
Affiliation:
Psiquiatria E Saúde Mental, Centro Hospitalar de Setúbal, Setubal, Portugal
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Obesity are frequently comorbid. The prevalence of ADHD rises from around 2.8% in the general population (adults) to about 27% among those with obesity. Although neurobiological mechanisms explaining the strong association between ADHD and obesity are still unclear, several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the high comorbidity, including common genes, dopaminergic neurotransmission, deficits in executive functions (planning, adherence to weight loss programs or protocols after bariatric surgery) and circadian rhythm dysregulation.

Objectives

Review on the relationship between ADHD and Obesity, focusing on possible biological mechanisms driving their high comorbidity.

Methods

We conducted a search in PubMed and ClinicalKey with the terms: “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder”, “Obesity”, “Dopamine”.

Results

Altered reward processing and impaired inhibitory control are key features of ADHD and are also related to obesity. The ability to resist the impulse to eat and an appropriate reward response require normal function of these dopamine circuits. Both ADHD and obesity are usually associated with reduced volume of putamen, known to be a fundamental player in inhibitory control functioning. Human and animal studies have also demonstrated that obese individuals have decreased dopamine D2 receptor availability in the striatum. Recently genetic analyses implicated specifically Dopamine-DARPP32 Feedback in cAMP Signaling in both ADHD and Obesity.

Conclusions

ADHD and obesity are often comorbid. Dysregulated dopaminergic neurotransmission seems to be a fundamental factor underlying the overlap between ADHD and obesity, probably involving DARPP-32 signaling and possibly through neurobiological features of putamen, namely inhibitory control. Further studies are necessary to explain the neurobiological correlation between these entities.

Keywords

DopamineNeurobiologyADHDobesity
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S238
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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