Examination of onset trajectories and persistence of binge-like eating behavior in mice after intermittent palatable food exposure.

Abstract

Binge eating is a persistent behavior associated with a chronic course of illness and poor treatment outcomes. While clinical research is unable to capture the full course of binge eating, preclinical approaches offer the opportunity to examine binge-like eating from onset through chronic durations, allowing identification of factors contributing to binge eating persistence. The present study quantified the trajectories of binge-like eating onset and modeled cycles of abstinence/relapse to develop a translational model for binge eating persistence. Adult male and female C57Bl6/J mice were randomized to a binge-like palatable food access schedule (daily 2-hr, 3×/week) or continuous, nonbinge like palatable food access for 12 days (Experiment 1). Persistence of palatable food consumption in both binge-like palatable food access groups was then examined across three cycles of forced abstinence and reexposure to palatable food (incubation) to model the persistence of binge eating in clinical populations. Mice with daily 2-hr palatable food access escalated their intake more than mice in the 3×/week or continuous groups (Experiment 1). This pattern was more pronounced in females. In addition, this pattern of palatable food intake reemerged across multiple cycles of behavioral incubation (Experiment 2). These findings provide a model of binge-like eating in mice that can be used in future studies examining both environmental factors and neural mechanisms contributing to binge eating persistence.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus: Influence on binge-type eating in male and female mice

“…Moreover, this occurs to a greater extent in females compared to males. This sexrelated difference aligns with previous rodent studies, which find that female compared to male rats are more likely to escalate to extreme progressive ratio self-administration of chocolate flavored sucrose pellets [17] and have higher demand for palatable foods at low cost [16], and that female compared to male C57Bl6/J mice escalate their intake more of palatable food when offered in daily, 2-hour sessions [13]. Despite their binge-type eating, our male and female mice did not consume significantly more total calories or gain more weight than our Control mice.…”

“…While animal models of binge-type eating have historically predominantly used rats, recent studies have begun to use mice (e.g. [5,13,14]). In both rats and mice, limited published work suggests that females binge at higher levels than males [15][16][17].…”