Negative energy balance hinders prosocial helping behavior

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Metabolic Research
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Animal behavior is modulated by internal states like hunger.
• While feeding behaviors are understood, the link between energy status and prosocial behavior is unknown.
• Negative energy balance drives food-seeking actions, but its effect on helping others is unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how an animal's energy status influences its prosocial helping behavior.
• To explore the metabolic and neural underpinnings of helping behavior in mice.
• To examine the parallels between animal and human prosocial behavior concerning energy status.

Main Methods:

• Developed a paradigm to assess helping behavior in mice, where a free mouse could release a trapped conspecific.
• Measured helping behavior under various metabolic conditions, including ad libitum feeding, food restriction, type 2 diabetes, and chemogenetic manipulation of AgRP neurons.
• Analyzed corticosterone levels, blood glucose, and Adenosine triphosphate (ATP):Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) ratios in helper mice.
• Correlated glycated hemoglobin levels with charity donation data in humans from the Understanding Society dataset.

Main Results:

• Approximately 42% of fed mice displayed helping behavior by releasing a trapped cagemate.
• Helping behavior was energetically demanding, indicated by reduced blood glucose and higher ATP:ADP ratios in helpers.
• Negative energy balance states (food restriction, diabetes, hunger activation) significantly attenuated helping behavior.
• Human data showed a correlation between glycated hemoglobin and reduced prosocial behavior (charity donation).

Conclusions:

• Organismal energy status profoundly influences helping behavior in both mice and humans.
• Hypothalamic AgRP neurons serve as a critical link between metabolic state and prosocial behavior.
• Metabolic challenges and hunger diminish the inclination to help distressed conspecifics.