Expression of neural markers of gustatory signaling are differentially altered by continuous and intermittent feeding patterns

Publication date: Available online 18 October 2019Source: Physiology & BehaviorAuthor(s): Darryl A. Gaudet, Dalia El-Desoky, Jonquil M. Poret, H. Douglas Braymer, Stefany D. PrimeauxAbstractFood intake patterns are regulated by signals from the gustatory neural circuit, a complex neural network that begins at the tongue and continues to homeostatic and hedonic brain regions involved in eating behavior. The goal of the current study was to investigate the short-term effects of continuous access to a high fat diet (HFD) versus limited access to dietary fat on the gustatory neural circuit. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a chow diet, a HFD (55% kcal from fat), or provided limited, daily (2h/day) or limited, intermittent (2h/day, 3 times/week) access to vegetable shortening for 2 weeks. Real time PCR was used to determine mRNA expression of markers of fat sensing/signaling (e.g. CD36) on the circumvallate papillae, markers of homeostatic eating in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) and markers of hedonic eating in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Continuous HFD increased mRNA levels of lingual CD36 and serotonin signaling, altered markers of homeostatic and hedonic eating. Limited, intermittent access to dietary fat selectively altered the expression of genes associated with the regulation of dopamine signaling. Overall, these data suggest that short-term, continuous access to HFD leads to altered fat taste and decreased expression of markers of homeostatic and hedonic eating. Limit...
Source: Physiology and Behavior - Category: Physiology Source Type: research