Changes in food valence of regular diet depending on the experience of high and low preference food

Eating disorders represent an aspect of mental illness involving failure to control eating behaviors. Food valence plays a regulatory role in eating behaviors and changes with eating experiences. Failure to control food valence may be associated with eating disorders. This study presents a newly developed behavior task-food reservation task, which assesses changes in food valence.

Over three consecutive days, mice were fed a regular diet for 30 min and subsequently were offered either palatable or low-palatable foods for 30 min.

Mice decreased regular diet consumption on the days that it was followed by a palatable food-sweet chocolate (SC) or cheese (CH) and increased it when it was followed by a low-palatable food-bitter (dark) chocolate (BC). Our findings indicate that mice can change regular diet consumption by learning whether it will be followed by a palatable or low-palatable food. This suggests that palatable food devaluated the food valence of regular diet, whereas low-palatable food evaluated it.

We developed a new food reservation task, which allows to assess experience-dependent change in the food valence of a regular diet. This task will contribute to a better understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying those changes.