Time-Restricted Feeding Alters Behavior in a Sex-Specific Manner in Mice With Neuropathic Pain

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Chronobiology
• Genetics

Background:

• Neuropathic pain (NP) and mood disorders are linked to circadian rhythm disruptions.
• Chronotherapies, like time-restricted feeding (TRF), may offer therapeutic benefits for NP and associated anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of TRF on pain and anxiety behaviors in spared nerve injury (SNI) mice.
• To examine diurnal changes in the hypothalamus transcriptome in response to TRF.

Main Methods:

• SNI mice (male and female) underwent TRF during their active phase or ad libitum feeding (ALF) for three weeks.
• Behavioral assessments (von Frey, hot plate, light-dark box, open field) and hypothalamic gene expression analysis were performed.

Main Results:

• TRF significantly reduced anxiety-like behaviors in male SNI mice, but not in females.
• Hypothalamic transcriptome analysis revealed 33 differentially expressed genes in male SNI mice under TRF, including anxiety, mitochondrial, and circadian-related genes.

Conclusions:

• TRF shows potential as a therapeutic strategy for alleviating anxiety comorbid with neuropathic pain, particularly in males.
• TRF influences hypothalamic gene expression, highlighting the interplay between feeding timing, circadian rhythms, and pain/anxiety modulation.