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Ghrelin mediates stress-induced food-reward behavior in mice
Jen-Chieh Chuang, … , Michael Lutter, Jeffrey M. Zigman
Jen-Chieh Chuang, … , Michael Lutter, Jeffrey M. Zigman
Published June 23, 2011
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2011;121(7):2684-2692. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI57660.
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Research Article Article has an altmetric score of 22

Ghrelin mediates stress-induced food-reward behavior in mice

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Abstract

The popular media and personal anecdotes are rich with examples of stress-induced eating of calorically dense “comfort foods.” Such behavioral reactions likely contribute to the increased prevalence of obesity in humans experiencing chronic stress or atypical depression. However, the molecular substrates and neurocircuits controlling the complex behaviors responsible for stress-based eating remain mostly unknown, and few animal models have been described for probing the mechanisms orchestrating this response. Here, we describe a system in which food-reward behavior, assessed using a conditioned place preference (CPP) task, is monitored in mice after exposure to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS), a model of prolonged psychosocial stress, featuring aspects of major depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Under this regime, CSDS increased both CPP for and intake of high-fat diet, and stress-induced food-reward behavior was dependent on signaling by the peptide hormone ghrelin. Also, signaling specifically in catecholaminergic neurons mediated not only ghrelin’s orexigenic, antidepressant-like, and food-reward behavioral effects, but also was sufficient to mediate stress-induced food-reward behavior. Thus, this mouse model has allowed us to ascribe a role for ghrelin-engaged catecholaminergic neurons in stress-induced eating.

Authors

Jen-Chieh Chuang, Mario Perello, Ichiro Sakata, Sherri Osborne-Lawrence, Joseph M. Savitt, Michael Lutter, Jeffrey M. Zigman

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Figure 2

CSDS enhances the rewarding properties of HFD, consumption of HFD reward pellets, and body weight gain in a ghrelin-dependent manner.

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CSDS enhances the rewarding properties of HFD, consumption of HFD reward...
(A) Unlike non-CSDS-exposed, control wild-type mice, CSDS-exposed wild-type mice demonstrate CPP for HFD (**P = 0.021). CSDS-induced HFD reward behavior is not observed in GHSR-null littermates (n = 20 per group). (B) CSDS-exposed wild-type mice gain more weight during the conditioning period than do the other groups (*P = 0.039) (n = 12 per group). (C) CSDS-exposed wild-type mice consume more HFD during CPP conditioning sessions than do non-CSDS-exposed control mice (***P = 0.006); such enhanced HFD intake is not observed in CSDS-exposed GHSR-null mice (n = 12 per group). (D) Consumption of the regular chow pellets available during CPP conditioning sessions is unaffected by CSDS in either genotype (n = 12 per group).

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ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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