Nucleus accumbens acetylcholine and food intake: decreased muscarinic tone reduces feeding but not food-seeking

Behav Brain Res. 2009 Mar 2;198(1):252-7. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.11.008. Epub 2008 Nov 11.

Abstract

Separate groups of food-deprived rats were given 2h access to food after receiving bilateral nucleus accumbens infusions of the muscarinic antagonist scopolamine methyl bromide (at 0, 1.0, and 10.0 microg/side), the M2-preferring agonist oxotremorine sesquifumarate (Oxo-S; at 0, 1.0, or 10.0 microg/side) or the M2 antagonist AFDX-116 (at 0, 0.2, or 1.0 microg/side). Injections of scopolamine or Oxo-S, but not AFDX-116, reduced food consumption across the 2h. These experiments confirm a critical role for Acb acetylcholine in promoting food ingestion, and suggest that decreased acetylcholine tone at post-synaptic muscarinic receptors disrupts normal consummatory behavior.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetylcholine / physiology*
  • Animals
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Eating / drug effects*
  • Eating / physiology
  • Feeding Behavior / drug effects*
  • Feeding Behavior / physiology
  • Male
  • Microinjections
  • Muscarinic Agonists / administration & dosage
  • Muscarinic Agonists / pharmacology
  • Muscarinic Antagonists / administration & dosage
  • Muscarinic Antagonists / pharmacology
  • N-Methylscopolamine / administration & dosage
  • N-Methylscopolamine / pharmacology
  • Nucleus Accumbens / drug effects
  • Nucleus Accumbens / physiology*
  • Oxotremorine / administration & dosage
  • Oxotremorine / analogs & derivatives
  • Oxotremorine / pharmacology
  • Parasympatholytics / administration & dosage
  • Parasympatholytics / pharmacology
  • Pirenzepine / administration & dosage
  • Pirenzepine / analogs & derivatives
  • Pirenzepine / pharmacology
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Receptors, Muscarinic / drug effects
  • Receptors, Muscarinic / physiology*

Substances

  • Muscarinic Agonists
  • Muscarinic Antagonists
  • Parasympatholytics
  • Receptors, Muscarinic
  • oxotremorine sesquifumarate
  • Pirenzepine
  • Oxotremorine
  • Acetylcholine
  • otenzepad
  • N-Methylscopolamine