Overeating and obesity are significant health problems for Americans of all ages. The proposed studies will examine, in mice of normal and obese genetic backgrounds, the effects of imposing economic costs (lever presses) on food intake and patterns of eating. Additionally, we will examine whether prospective appetite suppressant drugs become more effective under conditions of selectively imposed economic costs. Both human and animal models point to multiple causes of obesity, including genetic predispositions to gain weight, ready availability of highly caloric foods, and reduced everyday exercise. Animal models have been instrumental in understanding genetic abnormalities that produce obesity but these models have been tested almost exclusively in environments in which there is no cost associated with obtaining food. In contrast, the evolution of abilities to procure and utilize food in hard times has been critical. It is important to develop and test animal protocols in which the effect of effort on food procurement and consumption are measured, and also to assess the effect of potential treatments in these protocols. Specifically, the protocols that we will use are """"""""closed economy"""""""" in which mice must obtain all of their food in that environment.
The first aim i s to examine in outbred ICR:CD1 mice whether several types of economic cost, simulated by lever pressing as a fixed price (ratio), as a premeal foraging or procurement cost, or as an incrementing cost during the meal (progressive ratio) affect meal patterns. The latter two types of cost are predicted to have opposite effects on meal parameters, so we will also test their combination and develop a brief or streamlined protocol for future testing.
The second aim, using the streamlined closed economy protocol, is to test whether mice either heterozygous or homozygous for genetic deletion of melanocortin 4 receptor deletion exhibit altered meal patterns or elasticity of food demand compared with wild type controls.
The third aim, again using the streamlined protocol and outbred CD1 mice, is to examine whether chronic treatment with putative anorectic agents affect economic food choices. The agents to be studied are serotonergic agonist dexfenfluramine and the cannabinoid receptor antagonist rimonabant. The proposed studies will be the first to address the issue of behavioral change induced by anorectics under such conditions of simulated economic costs. ? ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DK064712-02
Application #
7273508
Study Section
Biobehavioral Regulation, Learning and Ethology Study Section (BRLE)
Program Officer
Yanovski, Susan Z
Project Start
2006-08-15
Project End
2009-05-31
Budget Start
2007-06-01
Budget End
2008-05-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$183,498
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Florida
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
969663814
City
Gainesville
State
FL
Country
United States
Zip Code
32611
Minervini, Vanessa; Rowland, Neil E; Robertson, Kimberly L et al. (2015) Role of estrogen receptor-? on food demand elasticity. J Exp Anal Behav 103:553-61
Rowland, Neil E (2012) Order and disorder: temporal organization of eating. Behav Brain Res 231:272-8
Rowland, Neil E; Robertson, Kimberly L; Cadiz, Emilia M et al. (2012) Action of a serotonergic anorectic in meal-fed mice working for food. Behav Pharmacol 23:560-6
Atalayer, Deniz; Rowland, Neil E (2012) Effects of meal frequency and snacking on food demand in mice. Appetite 58:117-23
Mitra, A; Crump, E M; Alvers, K M et al. (2011) Effect of high-fat diet on stress responsiveness in borderline hypertensive rats. Stress 14:42-52
Atalayer, Deniz; Rowland, Neil E (2011) Structure of motivation using food demand in mice. Physiol Behav 104:15-9
Atalayer, Deniz; Rowland, Neil E (2011) Comparison of voluntary and foraging running wheel activity on food demand in mice. Physiol Behav 102:22-9
Rowland, Neil E; Fakhar, Kaihan J; Robertson, Kimberly L et al. (2010) Effect of serotonergic anorectics on food intake and induction of Fos in brain of mice with disruption of melanocortin 3 and/or 4 receptors. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 97:107-11
Atalayer, Deniz; Rowland, Neil E (2010) Comparison of C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice in food motivation and satiety. Physiol Behav 99:679-83
Rowland, Neil E; Schaub, Jay W; Robertson, Kimberly L et al. (2010) Effect of MTII on food intake and brain c-Fos in melanocortin-3, melanocortin-4, and double MC3 and MC4 receptor knockout mice. Peptides 31:2314-7

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