TY - JOUR
T1 - Midbrain and Lateral Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine Depletion Affects Free-choice High-fat high-sugar Diet Preference in Male Rats
AU - Joshi, Anil
AU - Faivre, Fanny
AU - la Fleur, Susanne Eva
AU - Barrot, Michel
N1 - Funding Information: The present study was supported by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS UPR3212), the University of Strasbourg, the University of Amsterdam, the Agence Nationale de la Recherche [ANR-15-CE37-0005-02; Euridol ANR-17-EURE-0022], the NeuroTime Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate, and by a NARSAD distinguish investigator grant from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation [24220]. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 IBRO
PY - 2021/7/15
Y1 - 2021/7/15
N2 - Dopamine influences food intake behavior. Reciprocally, food intake, especially of palatable dietary items, can modulate dopamine-related brain circuitries. Among these reciprocal impacts, it has been observed that an increased intake of dietary fat results in blunted dopamine signaling and, to compensate this lowered dopamine function, caloric intake may subsequently increase. To determine how dopamine regulates food preference we performed 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions, depleting dopamine in specific brain regions in male Sprague Dawley rats. Food preference was assessed by providing the rats with free choice access to control diet, fat, 20% sucrose and tap water. Rats with midbrain lesions targeting the substantia nigra (which is also a model of Parkinson's disease) consumed fewer calories, as reflected by a decrease in control diet intake, but they surprisingly displayed an increase in fat intake, without change in the sucrose solution intake compared to sham animals. To determine which of the midbrain dopamine projections may contribute to this effect, we next compared the impact of 6-OHDA lesions of terminal fields, targeting the dorsal striatum, the lateral nucleus accumbens and the medial nucleus accumbens. We found that 6-OHDA lesion of the lateral nucleus accumbens, but not of the dorsal striatum or the medial nucleus accumbens, led to increased fat intake. These findings indicate a role for lateral nucleus accumbens dopamine in regulating food preference, in particular the intake of fat.
AB - Dopamine influences food intake behavior. Reciprocally, food intake, especially of palatable dietary items, can modulate dopamine-related brain circuitries. Among these reciprocal impacts, it has been observed that an increased intake of dietary fat results in blunted dopamine signaling and, to compensate this lowered dopamine function, caloric intake may subsequently increase. To determine how dopamine regulates food preference we performed 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions, depleting dopamine in specific brain regions in male Sprague Dawley rats. Food preference was assessed by providing the rats with free choice access to control diet, fat, 20% sucrose and tap water. Rats with midbrain lesions targeting the substantia nigra (which is also a model of Parkinson's disease) consumed fewer calories, as reflected by a decrease in control diet intake, but they surprisingly displayed an increase in fat intake, without change in the sucrose solution intake compared to sham animals. To determine which of the midbrain dopamine projections may contribute to this effect, we next compared the impact of 6-OHDA lesions of terminal fields, targeting the dorsal striatum, the lateral nucleus accumbens and the medial nucleus accumbens. We found that 6-OHDA lesion of the lateral nucleus accumbens, but not of the dorsal striatum or the medial nucleus accumbens, led to increased fat intake. These findings indicate a role for lateral nucleus accumbens dopamine in regulating food preference, in particular the intake of fat.
KW - 6-OHDA
KW - diet preference
KW - fat
KW - fcHFHS
KW - lateral nucleus accumbens
KW - substantia nigra
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85108098027&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.05.022
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.05.022
M3 - Article
C2 - 34048800
SN - 0306-4522
VL - 467
SP - 171
EP - 184
JO - Neuroscience
JF - Neuroscience
ER -