Random access to palatable food stimulates similar addiction-like responses as a fixed schedule, but only a fixed schedule elicits anticipatory activation.

ABSTRACT: Restricted intermittent food access to palatable food (PF) induces addiction-like behaviors and plastic changes in corticolimbic brain areas. Intermittent access protocols normally schedule PF to a fixed time, enabling animals to predict the arrival of PF. Because outside the laboratory the presence of PF may occur in a random unpredictable manner, the present study explored whether random access to PF would stimulate similar addiction-like responses as observed under a fixed scheduled. Rats were randomly assigned to a control group without chocolate access, to ad libitum access to chocolate, to fixed intermittent access (CH-F), or to random unpredictable access (CH-R) to chocolate. Only the CH-F group developed behavioral and core temperature anticipation to PF access. Both groups exposed

SUBMITTER: Munoz-Escobar G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6890727 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature