The functional link between tail-pinch-induced food intake and emotionality and its possible role in stress coping in rats

The journal of physiological sciences: JPS

Nami Aso-Someya¹  Akira Masuda²  Shuji Aou³  Kimiya Narikiyo⁴ 

[1] Chiba Prefectural University of Health Sciences;Doshisha University;Kyushu Institute of Technology;RIKEN Brain Science Institute

关键词: Tail pinch;    Hyperphagia;    Anxiety;    Stress-induced eating;   

DOI  :  10.1007/s12576-018-0596-6

学科分类：生理学

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Tail pinch facilitates eating in rats. We investigated an unidentified link between tail-pinch-induced eating behavior and individual emotionality in male Sprague–Dawley rats. Anxiety-like behavior was assessed on the elevated plus maze (EPM) and in the open field test (OFT). Tail-pinch-induced eating was observed as follows: After a 30-min habituation period, the tail pinch was applied for 5 min, followed by a 30-min recovery period. During the habituation and recovery periods, rats were allowed to access food ad libitum. During the recovery period, 14 of 24 rats ate more food than during the habituation period. Thus, we named them “high responders” and the others as “low responders”. The food intake was significantly greater, while the times spent in the open arms in the EPM and in the center area in the OFT were significantly shorter in high responders than in low responders. This result suggests that the rats consuming more food after mild stress have higher anxiety.

【 授权许可】

CC BY