Abnormal feeding behavior and insulin replacement in STZ-induced diabetic rats

The present studies were undertaken to investigate whether or not decreased ambulatory activity, including abnormal feeding behavior in diabetic rats, will be simultaneously normalized by insulin administration. To do this, we used the Gunma University-type automatic apparatus for continuous and direct measurement of ambulation and drinking. In this study, 3 U NPH insulin were administered at 1800, just before the dark phase, and 2 U were administered at 0600, just before the light phase. With these insulin doses, we found that 5 weeks were needed to normalize ambulatory activity, 4 weeks were necessary for food intake, 6 weeks for drinking and 2 weeks for body weight. Since ambulatory activity is reported to be related to changes in dopamine turnover, further studies are in progress to determine whether or not dopamine turnover is normalized when there is no difference in ambulatory activity due to insulin replacement.