Development of bingeing in rats altered by a small operant requirement

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that providing an optional food for a brief period of time to non-food deprived rats on an intermittent basis in the home cage engenders significantly more intake (binge-type behavior) than when the optional food is provided for a brief period on a daily basis. Experiment 1 examined the effects of placing a small operant response requirement on access to an optional food (vegetable shortening) on the establishment of binge-type behavior. Experiment 2 examined the effects of different schedules of reinforcement, a period of abstinence from shortening, and 24 h of food deprivation on established binge-type behavior. In Experiment 1 the group of rats with 30-min access to shortening on an intermittent basis in their home cages (IC) consumed significantly more shortening than the group with 30-min daily access in the home cage (DC). The group with 30-min intermittent access in an operant chamber (IO group) earned significantly more reinforcers than the group with 30-min daily access in an operant chamber (DO). In Experiment 2, the IO group earned significantly more reinforcers than the DO group regardless of the response cost, the period of shortening abstinence, and overnight food deprivation. These results demonstrate that while intermittent access generates binge-type eating, the size of the binge (intake) can be altered by different contingency arrangements.

Linking drug and food addiction: an overview of the shared neural circuits and behavioral phenotype

“…Studies using prolonged free access (i.e., ad libitum ) to HPFs have shown escalation in consumption beyond homeostatic needs ( Valdivia et al, 2015 ; Kreisler et al, 2017 ; Wiss et al, 2018 ) that parallels escalation in drug addiction ( Deroche-Gamonet et al, 2004 ; Johnson and Kenny, 2010 ). Similarly, free extended access to a palatable diet has been shown to induce behavioral and neurobiological alterations of tolerance induced by repeated or prolonged exposure to drugs of abuse ( Ahmed et al, 2000 ; Dimitriou et al, 2000 ; Ahmed et al, 2002 ; Avena, 2010 ; la Fleur et al, 2011 ; Wojnicki et al, 2015 ; Parnarouskis and Gearhardt, 2022 ).…”

“…Intermittent access to substances/food produces more robust behavioral addiction-like manifestations than continuous access ( Dimitriou et al, 2000 ; Kinzig et al, 2008 ; Corwin et al, 2011 ; Patrono et al, 2015 ; Wojnicki et al, 2015 ; Garcia et al, 2020 ; Vazquez-Herrera et al, 2021 ). Addiction-like increased consumption in the first period following re-exposure has been reported in rodents when they had intermittent period access shorter than 1 h daily ( Corwin, 2004 ; Cottone et al, 2008 ; Giuliano et al, 2012 ; Halpern et al, 2013 ; Schulte et al, 2015 ; Wojnicki et al, 2015 ; Lee et al, 2020 ). This is similar to substance-induced behaviors in which more pronounced effects were observed with brief and limited access than with extended access ( Kreisler et al, 2017 ; Spierling et al, 2020 ).…”