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Restraint to Induce Stress in Mice and Rats

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Stress, neuropeptides, and feeding behavior: a comparative perspective.

¹Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Box 4-3131, Lubbock, Texas 79409.

Integrative and Comparative Biology

|June 29, 2011

Summary

Stress rapidly inhibits feeding behaviors across vertebrates. Neuropeptides like melanocortins and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) modulate feeding by affecting visuomotor pathways, influencing how animals respond to food cues during stress.

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Area of Science:

Neuroendocrinology
Comparative Physiology
Behavioral Neuroscience

Background:

Stress commonly suppresses feeding behavior in vertebrates.
Hypothalamic neuropeptides, including melanocortins and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), are implicated in stress-induced feeding inhibition in mammals.
The roles of CRH and melanocortins in feeding regulation are evolutionarily conserved.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of neuropeptides in modulating feeding behavior under stress.
To explore the conserved functions of CRH and melanocortins in feeding regulation across different vertebrate classes.
To examine the impact of CRH and melanocortins on visuomotor pathways controlling food acquisition.

Main Methods:

Administration of CRH, corticosterone, isoproterenol, and melanocortins to study their effects on feeding behavior.
Observation and analysis of visually guided prey-catching behavior in toads.
Assessment of prey-oriented turning movements and habituation to prey stimuli.

Main Results:

CRH administration mimicked stress-induced inhibition of prey-catching behavior in toads.
Melanocortins reduced prey-oriented turning and facilitated habituation to prey.
The effects of these neuropeptides were rapid, observed within 30 minutes.
Corticosterone and isoproterenol did not affect prey-catching behavior.

Conclusions:

CRH and melanocortins play a significant role in modulating visuomotor pathways involved in feeding behavior.
These neuropeptides may exert a primitive function in regulating behavioral responses to food stimuli during stress.
Neuroendocrine changes during stress can alter the processing of visual cues, impacting feeding decisions.