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Central regulation of feeding behavior through neuropeptides and amino acids in neonatal chicks

Phuong V Tran1, Vishwajit S Chowdhury2, Mitsuhiro Furuse3

  • 1Laboratory of Regulation in Metabolism and Behavior, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Science, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.

Amino Acids
|July 15, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal chicks utilize a complex feeding regulation system involving both neuropeptides and nutrients like amino acids. This study explores these mechanisms in chicks, offering insights into early-life feeding behaviors.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Animal Science
  • Comparative Biology

Background:

  • Neonatal animals require substantial nutrition for growth, but understanding early-life feeding mechanisms in the brain is challenging.
  • Rodent models present difficulties in studying neonatal feeding, whereas precocial chicks offer advantages due to their independent foraging and accessible central nervous system.
  • Chickens, as the closest vertebrate outgroup to mammals with genomic similarities to humans, provide a valuable model for studying feeding regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the central mechanisms regulating feeding behavior in neonatal chicks.
  • To explore the roles of neuropeptides and nutrients in controlling food intake and related behaviors like sleeping and resting.
  • To understand species-specific differences in feeding regulation compared to mammals.

Main Methods:

  • Observation of feeding, sleeping, and resting behaviors in neonatal chicks.
  • Administration of drugs for central effects and monitoring of food intake.
  • Analysis of potential roles of neuropeptides and amino acids in feeding regulation.

Main Results:

  • Neuropeptide candidates for orexigenic factors were fewer than anorexigenic factors, with some showing reversed or absent effects compared to mammals.
  • Genetic differences between broiler and layer chickens may influence food intake.
  • Amino acids and their metabolites were found to act centrally, influencing feeding with sedative and hypnotic effects.

Conclusions:

  • Endogenous neuropeptides and nutrients, such as amino acids, interact to regulate feeding behavior in neonatal chicks.
  • Feeding regulation in neonatal chicks is a complex interplay of various neurochemical and nutritional factors.
  • The neonatal chick model is suitable for studying the fundamental mechanisms of feeding regulation.

Keywords:
Amino acidsFood intakeNeonatal chicksNeuropeptidesSleep

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