Imbalances in dopaminergic signaling during development have been indicated as part of the underlying neurobiology of several psychiatric illnesses, including schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, and food addiction. Yet, how transient manipulation of dopaminergic signaling influences long-lasting behavioral consequences, or if these modifications can induce inheritable traits, it is still not understood. In this study, we used the Drosophila melanogaster model to test if transient pharmacological activation of the dopaminergic system leads to modulations of feeding and locomotion in adult flies. We observed that transient administration of a dopaminergic precursor, levodopa, at 6 h, 3 days or 5 days post-eclosion, induced overfeeding behavior, while we did not find significant effects on locomotion. Moreover, this phenotype was inherited by the offspring of flies treated 6 h or 3 days post-eclosion, but not the offspring of those treated 5 days post-eclosion. These results indicate that transient alterations in dopaminergic signaling can produce behavioral alterations in adults, which can then be carried to descendants. These findings provide novel insights into the conditions in which environmental factors can produce transgenerational eating disorders.

中文翻译：

---

多巴胺能前体的瞬态管理导致年轻果蝇成虫可遗传的过量喂养行为。

在发育过程中，多巴胺能信号的失衡已被指示为几种精神疾病的基础神经生物学的一部分，包括精神分裂症，重度抑郁症，躁郁症和食物成瘾。然而，多巴胺能信号的瞬时操纵如何影响长久的行为后果，或者如果这些修饰可以诱导可遗传的性状，仍然是未知的。在这项研究中，我们使用了果蝇果蝇模型来测试多巴胺能系统的瞬时药理学激活是否导致成年果蝇的进食和运动调节。我们观察到，多巴胺能前体左旋多巴在停药后6小时，3天或5天短暂给药会引起过度摄食行为，而我们并未发现对运动有明显影响。而且，这种表型是由在羽化后6小时或3天处理的果蝇的后代遗传的，而不是由在羽化后5天处理的果蝇的后代遗传的。这些结果表明，多巴胺能信号传导中的瞬时改变可以在成年人中产生行为改变，然后可以将其携带给后代。这些发现为环境因素可能导致跨代饮食失调的状况提供了新颖的见解。