Interaction between hypothalamic dorsomedial nucleus and the suprachiasmatic nucleus determines intensity of food anticipatory behavior.

ABSTRACT: Food anticipatory behavior (FAA) is induced by limiting access to food for a few hours daily. Animals anticipate this scheduled meal event even without the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the biological clock. Consequently, a food-entrained oscillator has been proposed to be responsible for meal time estimation. Recent studies suggested the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) as the site for this food-entrained oscillator, which has led to considerable controversy in the literature. Herein we demonstrate by means of c-Fos immunohistochemistry that the neuronal activity of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which signals the rest phase in nocturnal animals, is reduced when animals anticipate the scheduled food and, simultaneously, neuronal activity within the DMH increases. Using retrograde traci

SUBMITTER: Acosta-Galvan G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3078408 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature