Examination of Onset Trajectories and Persistence of Binge-Like Eating Behavior in Mice after Intermittent Palatable Food Exposure

Hildebrandt, B. A.; Fisher, H.; Ahmari, S. E.

doi:10.1101/2022.09.28.510003

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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.09.28.510003

Examination of Onset Trajectories and Persistence of Binge-Like Eating Behavior in Mice after Intermittent Palatable Food Exposure

Hildebrandt, B. A.·Fisher, H.·Ahmari, S. E.

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Abstract

Binge eating (BE) is a persistent behavior associated with a chronic course of illness and poor treatment outcomes. While clinical research is unable to capture the full course of BE, pre-clinical approaches offer the opportunity to examine binge-like eating from onset through chronic durations, allowing identification of factors contributing to BE persistence. The current study quantified the trajectories of binge-like eating onset and modeled cycles of abstinence/relapse to develop a translational model for BE persistence. Adult male and female C57Bl6/J mice were randomized to a binge-like palatable food (PF) access schedule (daily 2-hour, 3x/week) or continuous, non-binge like PF access for 12 days (Experiment 1). Persistence of PF consumption in both binge-like PF access groups was then examined across three cycles of forced abstinence and re-exposure to PF (incubation) to model the persistence of BE in clinical populations. Mice with daily 2 hour PF access escalated their intake more than mice in the 3x/week or continuous groups (Experiment 1).This pattern was more pronounced in females. In addition, this pattern of PF intake re-emerged across multiple cycles of behavioral incubation (Experiment 2). These findings provide a model of binge-like eating in mice that can be used in future studies examining both environmental factors and neural mechanisms contributing to BE persistence.

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Hildebrandt, B. A., Fisher, H., Ahmari, S. E.. 2022-09-30. Examination of Onset Trajectories and Persistence of Binge-Like Eating Behavior in Mice after Intermittent Palatable Food Exposure. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.09.28.510003

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