Fear and food: Anxiety-like behavior and the susceptibility to weight loss in an activity-based anorexia rat model.

ABSTRACT: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by energy restriction, low body weight, a fear of gaining weight, and often excessive physical activity. Anxiety disorders appear to constitute a major risk factor for developing AN and are the most frequent comorbidity. Here, the influence of anxiety-like behavior prior to food restriction on increased physical activity, leading to greater susceptibility to weight loss, was tested in rats. Furthermore, the possible anxiolytic effect of starvation itself was analyzed. A chronic starvation model activity-based anorexia (ABA) was applied to mimic physiological and behavioral characteristics of AN. During the induction of starvation and acute starvation, food intake was reduced by 70% and the rats lost 25% of their body weig

SUBMITTER: Schwenzer C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9010269 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature