Activity-Based Anorexia Alters the Expression of BDNF Transcripts in the Mesocorticolimbic Reward Circuit.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex eating disorder with severe dysregulation of appetitive behavior. The activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm is an animal model in which rodents exposed to both running wheels and scheduled feeding develop aspects of AN including paradoxical hypophagia, dramatic we...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Emily V Ho, Stephanie J Klenotich, Matthew S McMurray, Stephanie C Dulawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2016-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5115804?pdf=render
_version_ 1828352683081203712
author Emily V Ho
Stephanie J Klenotich
Matthew S McMurray
Stephanie C Dulawa
author_facet Emily V Ho
Stephanie J Klenotich
Matthew S McMurray
Stephanie C Dulawa
author_sort Emily V Ho
collection DOAJ
description Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex eating disorder with severe dysregulation of appetitive behavior. The activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm is an animal model in which rodents exposed to both running wheels and scheduled feeding develop aspects of AN including paradoxical hypophagia, dramatic weight loss, and hyperactivity, while animals exposed to only one condition maintain normal body weight. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), an activity-dependent modulator of neuronal plasticity, is reduced in the serum of AN patients, and is a known regulator of feeding and weight maintenance. We assessed the effects of scheduled feeding, running wheel access, or both on the expression of BDNF transcripts within the mesocorticolimbic pathway. We also assessed the expression of neuronal cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1) to explore the specificity of effects on BDNF within the mesocorticolimbic pathway. Scheduled feeding increased the levels of both transcripts in the hippocampus (HPC), increased NCAM1 mRNA expression in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), and decreased BDNF mRNA levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In addition, wheel running increased BDNF mRNA expression in the VTA. No changes in either transcript were observed in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Furthermore, no changes in either transcript were induced by the combined scheduled feeding and wheel access condition. These data indicate that scheduled feeding or wheel running alter BDNF and NCAM1 expression levels in specific regions of the mesocorticolimbic pathway. These findings contribute to our current knowledge of the molecular alterations induced by ABA and may help elucidate possible mechanisms of AN pathology.
first_indexed 2024-04-14T01:56:38Z
format Article
id doaj.art-d4e01eab93da41c39d299a62f3e66926
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1932-6203
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-14T01:56:38Z
publishDate 2016-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj.art-d4e01eab93da41c39d299a62f3e669262022-12-22T02:19:03ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-011111e016675610.1371/journal.pone.0166756Activity-Based Anorexia Alters the Expression of BDNF Transcripts in the Mesocorticolimbic Reward Circuit.Emily V HoStephanie J KlenotichMatthew S McMurrayStephanie C DulawaAnorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex eating disorder with severe dysregulation of appetitive behavior. The activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm is an animal model in which rodents exposed to both running wheels and scheduled feeding develop aspects of AN including paradoxical hypophagia, dramatic weight loss, and hyperactivity, while animals exposed to only one condition maintain normal body weight. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), an activity-dependent modulator of neuronal plasticity, is reduced in the serum of AN patients, and is a known regulator of feeding and weight maintenance. We assessed the effects of scheduled feeding, running wheel access, or both on the expression of BDNF transcripts within the mesocorticolimbic pathway. We also assessed the expression of neuronal cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1) to explore the specificity of effects on BDNF within the mesocorticolimbic pathway. Scheduled feeding increased the levels of both transcripts in the hippocampus (HPC), increased NCAM1 mRNA expression in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), and decreased BDNF mRNA levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In addition, wheel running increased BDNF mRNA expression in the VTA. No changes in either transcript were observed in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Furthermore, no changes in either transcript were induced by the combined scheduled feeding and wheel access condition. These data indicate that scheduled feeding or wheel running alter BDNF and NCAM1 expression levels in specific regions of the mesocorticolimbic pathway. These findings contribute to our current knowledge of the molecular alterations induced by ABA and may help elucidate possible mechanisms of AN pathology.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5115804?pdf=render
spellingShingle Emily V Ho
Stephanie J Klenotich
Matthew S McMurray
Stephanie C Dulawa
Activity-Based Anorexia Alters the Expression of BDNF Transcripts in the Mesocorticolimbic Reward Circuit.
PLoS ONE
title Activity-Based Anorexia Alters the Expression of BDNF Transcripts in the Mesocorticolimbic Reward Circuit.
title_full Activity-Based Anorexia Alters the Expression of BDNF Transcripts in the Mesocorticolimbic Reward Circuit.
title_fullStr Activity-Based Anorexia Alters the Expression of BDNF Transcripts in the Mesocorticolimbic Reward Circuit.
title_full_unstemmed Activity-Based Anorexia Alters the Expression of BDNF Transcripts in the Mesocorticolimbic Reward Circuit.
title_short Activity-Based Anorexia Alters the Expression of BDNF Transcripts in the Mesocorticolimbic Reward Circuit.
title_sort activity based anorexia alters the expression of bdnf transcripts in the mesocorticolimbic reward circuit
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5115804?pdf=render
work_keys_str_mv AT emilyvho activitybasedanorexiaalterstheexpressionofbdnftranscriptsinthemesocorticolimbicrewardcircuit
AT stephaniejklenotich activitybasedanorexiaalterstheexpressionofbdnftranscriptsinthemesocorticolimbicrewardcircuit
AT matthewsmcmurray activitybasedanorexiaalterstheexpressionofbdnftranscriptsinthemesocorticolimbicrewardcircuit
AT stephaniecdulawa activitybasedanorexiaalterstheexpressionofbdnftranscriptsinthemesocorticolimbicrewardcircuit