A test of the Booth energy flow model (Mark 3) on feeding patterns of mice

Booth's dynamic model is a particular realization of a general hypothesis ascribing the start and stop of rat meals to fluctuations in the value of the net energy flow entering into the lean body mass. The Mark 3 version of this model has been adapted to the mouse Mus musculus C3H. Recordings for 11.5 consecutive hours of diurnal and nocturnal sequences of feeding behaviour in six mice have made it possible to compare not only the simulated and observed ingested amounts, but also the corresponding time patterns. The results show the consistency of the energy flow hypothesis with the feeding pattern in mice. The results also show that satiety conditioning does not improve simulated patterns and indicate which modification of the model parameters allow the simulation of the observed differences between day and night patterns. Finally, detailed discrepancies between observed and simulated results suggest that the model would be improved by taking into account other behaviours liable to interact with feeding behaviour.