Selection for growth alters the feeding response to injections of biogenic amines

Central Interaction Between L-Ornithine and Neuropeptide Y in the Regulation of Feeding Behavior of Neonatal Chicks

Ornithine has been identified as a potential satiety signal in the brains of neonatal chicks. We hypothesized that brain nutrient signals such as amino acids and appetite-related neuropeptides synergistically regulate food intake. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the interaction between neuropeptide Y (NPY) and ornithine in the control of feeding behavior in chicks and the associated central and peripheral amino acid metabolic processes. Five-day-old chicks were intracerebroventricularly injected with saline, NPY (375 pmol), or NPY plus ornithine (2 or 4 μmol) at 10 μl per chick, and then subjected to ad libitum feeding conditions; food intake was monitored for 30 min after injection. Brain and plasma samples were collected after the experiment to determine free amino acid concentrations. Co-injection of NPY and ornithine significantly attenuated the orexigenic effect induced by NPY in a dose-dependent manner. Central NPY significantly decreased amino adipic acid, asparagine, γ-aminobutyric acid, leucine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and isoleucine levels, but significantly increased lysine levels in the brain. Co-injection of NPY and ornithine significantly increased ornithine and proline levels in all examined brain regions, but decreased diencephalic tryptophan and glycine levels compared with those of the control and NPY-alone groups. Co-injection of NPY and high-dose ornithine significantly decreased methionine levels in all brain regions. Central NPY significantly suppressed the plasma concentrations of amino acids, including proline, asparagine, methionine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, leucine, isoleucine, glycine, glutamine, alanine, arginine, and valine, and this reduction was greater when NPY was co-injected with ornithine. These results suggest that brain ornithine interacts with NPY to regulate food intake in neonatal chicks. Furthermore, central NPY may induce an anabolic effect that is modified by co-injection with ornithine.

Adrenergic and noradrenergic regulation of poultry behavior and production

Norepinephrine and epinephrine (noradrenaline and adrenaline) are integral in maintaining behavioral and physiological homeostasis during both aversive and rewarding events. They regulate the response to stressful stimuli through direct activation of adrenergic receptors in the central and sympathetic nervous systems, hormonal activity and through the interaction of the brain, gut, and microbiome. The multiple functions of these catecholamines work synergistically to prepare an individual for a "fight or flight" response. However, hyper-reactivity of this system can lead to increased fearfulness and aggression, decreased health and productivity, and a reduction in overall well-being. Behaviors, such as aggression and certain fear-related behaviors, are a serious problem in the poultry industry that can lead to injury and cannibalism. For decades, catecholamines have been used as a measure of stress in animals. However, few studies have specifically targeted the adrenergic systems as means to reduce behaviors that are damaging or maladapted to their rearing environments and improve animal well-being. This article attempts to address our current understanding of specific, adrenergic-regulated behaviors that impact chicken well-being and production.

Hypothalamic differences in expression of genes involved in monoamine synthesis and signaling pathways after insulin injection in chickens from lines selected for high and low body weight

Long-term selection for juvenile body weight from a common founder population resulted in two divergent chicken lines (low-weight selected line (LWS), high-weight selected line (HWS)) that display distinct food intake and blood glucose responses to exogenous neuropeptides and insulin. The objective of this study was to elucidate putative targets affecting food intake and energy homeostasis by sequencing hypothalamic RNA from LWS and HWS chickens after insulin injection. Ninety-day-old female LWS and HWS chickens were injected with either vehicle or insulin and hypothalamus collected at 1 h postinjection. Through RNA sequencing, a total of 361 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. There was greater expression of genes, mainly tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (DDC), and vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT), involved in serotonin and dopamine biosynthesis and signaling in LWS than in HWS vehicle-injected chickens. In contrast, after insulin injection, these genes were more highly expressed in HWS than in LWS. We identified 90 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) existing only in the HWS and 121 SNPs specific to LWS and 5119 SNPs close to fixation (with absolute frequency difference ≥0.9). Four were located in genes encoding enzymes associated with serotonergic and dopaminergic pathways, such as DDC, TH, and solute carrier family 18, member 2 (VMAT). These data implicate differences in biogenic amines such as serotonin and dopamine in hypothalamic physiology between the chicken lines, and these differences might be associated with polymorphisms during long-term selection. Changes in serotonergic and dopaminergic signaling pathways in response to insulin injection suggest a role in whole-body energy homeostasis.

Expression of carnitine palmitoyl-CoA transferase-1B is influenced by a cis-acting eQTL in two chicken lines selected for high and low body weight

Carnitine palmitoyl-CoA transferase-1B is a mitochondrial enzyme in the fatty acid oxidation pathway. In a previous study, CPT1B was identified as differentially expressed in the hypothalamus of two lines of chickens established by long-term selection for high (HWS) or low (LWS) body weight. Mammals have three paralogs (CPT1a, b and c) while nonmammalian vertebrates only have two (CPT1A, B). CPT1A is expressed in liver and CPT1B in muscle. CPT1c is expressed in hypothalamus, where it regulates feeding and energy expenditure. We identified an intronic length polymorphism, fixed for different alleles in the two populations, and mapped the hitherto missing CPT1B locus in the chicken genome assembly, to the distal tip of chromosome 1p. Based on molecular phylogeny and gene synteny we suggest that chicken CPT1B is pro-orthologous of the mammalian CPT1c. Chicken CPT1B was differentially expressed in both muscle and hypothalamus but in opposite directions: higher levels in hypothalamus but lower levels in muscle in the HWS than in the LWS line. Using an advanced intercross population of the lines, we found CPT1B expression to be influenced by a cis-acting expression quantitative trait locus in muscle. The increased expression in hypothalamus and reduced expression in muscle is consistent with an increased food intake in the HWS line and at the same time reduced fatty acid oxidation in muscle yielding a net accumulation of energy intake and storage. The altered expression of CPT1B in hypothalamus and peripheral tissue is likely to be a mechanism contributing to the remarkable difference between lines.

Differentially expressed genes in hypothalamus in relation to genomic regions under selection in two chicken lines resulting from divergent selection for high or low body weight

Long-term divergent selection for low or high body weight from the same founder population has generated two extremely divergent lines of chickens, the high- (HWS) and low-weight (LWS) selected lines. At selection age (56 days), the lines differ by more than nine times in body weight. The HWS line chickens are compulsive feeders, whereas in the LWS line, some individuals are anorexic and others have very low appetite. Previous studies have implicated the central nervous system and particularly the hypothalamus in these behavioural differences. Here, we compared the mRNA expression in hypothalamus tissue from chickens on day 4 post-hatch using oligonucleotide arrays and found that the divergent selection had resulted in minor but multiple expression differences. Differentially expressed genes were enriched in processes 'DNA metabolism, repair, induction of apoptosis and metabolism'. Several differentially expressed genes participate in the regulation of neuronal plasticity and development, including apoptosis, or are neurotransmittor receptor subtypes. Less change was seen when comparing hypothalamic neuropeptide mediators of appetite such as the melanocortin receptors. The genomic locations of these differentially expressed genes were then compared to the locations of growth QTLs and to a genome-wide map of chromosomal regions that have been under divergent selection between the lines. The results indicate which differentially expressed hypothalamic genes have responded to the divergent selection and that the results predict that it is more likely to find causative genes among these most differentially expressed genes. Because of such differential gene expression in hypothalamus, the lines may adapt behaviourally different particularly to the post-hatch situation when independent feeding to obtain energy is established.

The structure of feeding behavior in commercial broiler lines selected for different growth rates

Selection for increased growth rate in livestock is accompanied by increased requirements for food resources. It has been suggested that more intensively selected birds, such as broilers, have altered food intake control mechanisms and may be constantly hungry, due to the high demands of fast growth rates. If this is the case, it would be a major welfare issue. We investigated the hypothesis that more intensive selection for growth in some lines of broilers has altered feeding behavior by analyzing short-term feeding behavior bouts in relation to the roles of hunger and satiety mechanisms in the control of food intake. Using 4 genetic lines, resulting from different levels of selection for growth rate, meal pattern analysis was performed and the bouting of short-term feeding behavior was estimated. All lines showed bouted feeding behavior, although differences in meal size, number of meals, and meal duration were evident across lines. In all lines, the probability of birds starting a new meal was low immediately after finishing the previous meal and increased with time, as expected for feeding behavior governed by hunger and satiety mechanisms. Normal feeding behavior was, therefore, not affected by the intensity of selection. Feeding rate increased with growth rate, suggesting that this may be a consequence of selection. However the other characteristics of feeding behavior, such as meal duration, did not change consistently with higher growth rate. Due to differences between lines in bird size, the number and weight of birds per pen also differed between the lines. The differences in feeding behavior between lines were greatly diminished when weight of birds per square meter was taken into account but were still statistically significant. Overall, it is apparent that even when growth rate and body size have been substantially altered by genetic selection, the underlying normal controls of feeding behavior are conserved in broiler birds.

Proviral integrations and expression of endogenous avian leucosis virus during long term selection for high and low body weight in two chicken lines

Background

Long-term selection (> 45 generations) for low or high juvenile body weight from a common founder population of White Plymouth Rock chickens has generated two extremely divergent lines, the LWS and HWS lines. In addition to a > 9-fold difference between lines for the selected trait, large behavioural and metabolic differences between the two lines evolved during the course of the selection. We recently compared gene expression in brain tissue from birds representing these lines using a global cDNA array analysis and the results showed multiple but small expression differences in protein coding genes. The main differentially expressed transcripts were endogenous retroviral sequences identified as avian leucosis virus subgroup-E (ALVE).

Results

In this work we confirm the differential ALVE expression and analysed expression and number of proviral integrations in the two parental lines as well as in F₉ individuals from an advanced intercross of the lines. Correlation analysis between expression, proviral integrations and body weight showed that high ALVE levels in the LWS line were inherited and that more ALVE integrations were detected in LWS than HWS birds.

Conclusion

We conclude that only a few of the integrations contribute to the high expression levels seen in the LWS line and that high ALVE expression was significantly correlated with lower body weights for the females but not males. The conserved correlation between high expression and low body weight in females after 9 generations of intercrosses, indicated that ALVE loci conferring high expression directly affects growth or are very closely linked to loci regulating growth.

Extremely different behaviours in high and low body weight lines of chicken are associated with differential expression of genes involved in neuronal plasticity

Long-term selection (> 45 generations) for low or high body weight from the same founder population has generated two extremely divergent lines of chickens, the low (LWS) and high weight (HWS) lines, which at the age of selection (56 days) differs by more than nine-fold in body weight. The HWS line chickens are compulsive feeders, whereas, in the LWS line, some individuals are anorexic and others have very low appetites. The involvement of the central nervous system in these behavioural differences has been experimentally supported. We compared a brain region at 0 and 56 days of age containing the major metabolic regulatory regions, including the hypothalamus and brainstem, using a global cDNA array expression analysis. The results obtained show that the long-term selection has produced minor but multiple expression differences. Genes that regulate neuronal plasticity, such as actin filament polymerisation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, were identified as being differentially expressed. Genes involved in lipid metabolism were over-represented among differentially expressed genes. The expression data confirm that neural systems regulating feeding behaviours in these lines are different. The results suggest that the lines are set in separate developmental trajectories equipped with slightly different nervous systems. We suggest that the lines adapt behaviourally different to changing situations post hatch, such as the transition from dependence on yolk to feeding, in order to obtain energy. The present study has identified and exemplifies the kind of changes that may underlie the extreme differences in such behaviours.

Hypophagic and dipsogenic effect of the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT in broiler chickens

The effects of the 5-HT(1A) receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT on food and water intake in male broiler chickens were investigated. The injection of 25 or 50 microg/kg of 8-OH-DPAT 15 min before refeeding in fasted animals produced a decrease in food intake. No effect was observed in drinking. The injection of 25 or 50 microg/kg of the 8-OH-DPAT 60 min after the start of refeeding did not produce any significant modification in food intake. No effect on drinking was recorded. The agonist 8-OH-DPAT injected 15 min before water presentation in water-deprived chickens, produced an increased drinking 60 min after the presentation of water. No effect on food intake was observed. The results show that the effect on food intake of the agonist 8-OH-DPAT in fasted-refed broiler chickens was similar to those observed in mammals and layer-strain chickens. However, the agonist did not alter significantly the food intake when the broilers were fed 60 min before the injection. These results are contrary to the observed effects in mammals and in layer-strain chickens. Probably, the selection for rapid growth rate in broilers causes modifications in the feeding control pattern. The comparison between broilers and layers strain may be a useful tool to elucidate the complex mechanisms involved in food and water intake regulation in chickens.

Differential autonomic nervous system response in obese and anorexic chickens (Gallus gallus)

Effect of reserpine on body weight (BW), feed intake (FI), brain and plasma catecholamine and indoleamine concentrations in high- (HWS) and low- (LWS) weight selected lines of chickens was investigated. Chicks from each line were assigned to three treatment groups and injected intraperitoneally with 0, 1.25, or 2.50 mg/kg of reserpine at hatch, and again at 5 weeks-of-age. Chick BW and FI were determined weekly. At 7 weeks-of-age, 12 males and females from each group were sacrificed for neurotransmitter analysis. In the HWS line there was a dose-dependent decrease in BW through 7 weeks-of-age, whereas in the LWS line BW decreased only through the first 2 weeks-of-age. In the LWS line, norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate concentrations decreased in the brain in a linear and quadratic manner in response to reserpine, but not in the HWS line. Both lines showed linear decreases in dopamine levels in response to reserpine; however, serotonin was not affected by reserpine. Chickens in the HWS line had greater plasma NE, and lower 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid than those in the LWS line. In conclusion, it appears that chickens from the HWS line were more sensitive to the BW reducing effects of reserpine than those from the LWS line, with the latter appearing to have greater sympathetic nervous system activity.

Inhibitory effect of ghrelin on food intake is mediated by the corticotropin-releasing factor system in neonatal chicks

It is known that, in rats, central and peripheral ghrelin increases food intake mainly through activation of neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons. In contrast, intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of ghrelin inhibits food intake in neonatal chicks. We examined the mechanism governing this inhibitory effect in chicks. The ICV injection of ghrelin or corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), which also inhibits feeding and causes hyperactivity in chicks. Thus, we examined the interaction of ghrelin with CRF and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The ICV injection of ghrelin increased plasma corticosterone levels in a dose-dependent or a time-dependent manner. Co-injection of a CRF receptor antagonist, astressin, attenuated ghrelin-induced plasma corticosterone increase and anorexia. In addition, we also investigated the effect of ghrelin on NPY-induced food intake and on expression of hypothalamic NPY mRNA. Co-injection of ghrelin with NPY inhibited NPY-induced increase in food intake, and the ICV injection of ghrelin did not change NPY mRNA expression. These results indicate that central ghrelin does not interact with NPY as seen in rodents, but instead inhibits food intake by interacting with the endogenous CRF and its receptor.

Selection for growth in brown trout increases feed intake capacity without affecting maintenance and growth requirements1

The correlated responses in feed intake and G:F ratio with selection for increased growth rate were evaluated by comparing selected (S) and control (C) brown trout (Salmo trutta) reared under conditions known to affect feed efficiency: feed restriction and periods of compensatory growth. Nitrogen and energy requirements for maintenance and growth were also measured. Trout were allotted at comparable BW (3.7+/-0.06 and 3.8+/-0.04 g, for C and S respectively) to triplicate groups per treatment. The experiment lasted a total of 198 d, during which animals were successively submitted to a 116-d feeding phase and fed 10, 30, 50, 70, 100, and 140% of their usual daily ration (UDR), a 35-d phase of food deprivation, and a 47-d refeeding phase. The G:F of C and S were comparable in all experimental conditions tested. During the feeding phase, S grew better than C only when fed 100 and 140% UDR (P < 0.001). This was explained by a higher feed intake capacity. The requirements for growth and maintenance were similar among the lines, which is in agreement with their comparable loss of weight (mean energy loss of -53 and -55 kJ/(kg x d) for C and S, respectively; P > 0.38) observed during the feed deprivation phase and the lack of differences in carcass composition (fat, P > 0.35; protein, P > 0.54). During the refeeding phase, growth performance and G:F were high in all groups. The daily growth coefficient was higher in S than in C (P < 0.001) because of a higher feed intake (P < 0.001). An increase in absolute individual variability in final BW and length was associated with the level of food restriction in both lines; however, it always remained lower in S than in C. In conclusion, fish selected for growth under ad libitum conditions will only exhibit growth superiority when fed diets close to ad libitum, and there was no evidence that selection was associated with an improvement in efficiency of maintenance nor in retention of body tissues.

Determination of serotonin, catecholamines and their metabolites by direct injection of supernatants from chicken brain tissue homogenate using liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

An isocratic liquid chromatographic method with electrochemical detection for the determination of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, serotonin, and their major metabolites, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylacetic acid and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid in chicken brain tissue is described. Chickens were killed at different ages, the brains were quickly frozen and 300-microm cryostat sections were made. From these sections, two to six tissue micropunches (1 mm in diameter) were punched out from 20 different areas of the hypothalamus and homogenated in 100 microl 0.1 M perchloric acid which included 0.01% cysteine as antioxidant. Fifty-microl supernatants were injected directly onto the LC system, separated on a 3-microm Phase II ODS column (100 x 3.2 mm I.D.) and detected by an electrochemical detector at a potential of +0.75 V. Standard curves, recoveries, analytical precision and detection limits were investigated for each monoamine neurotransmitter and its metabolites. The method was applied to study the influence of food restriction on the concentration of monoamine neurotransmitters in different brain areas, known to be involved in feeding and reproductive behaviour of female broiler chickens. Over 1000 micropunched tissue samples from ad libitum fed and food-restricted female broiler chickens were analyzed. Our results provide a possible role for catecholamines and indolamines in the altered feeding and reproductive behaviour of the broiler chicken.

Long-term divergent selection for eight-week body weight in white Plymouth rock chickens

This paper provides an overview of results from a long-term (38 generations) selection experiment. Lines were developed from individual phenotypic selection for high or low body weight at 8 wk of age. Included are data for the selected lines, sublines in which selection was relaxed, crosses of the selected lines, and sublines in which the sex-linked dw gene was introduced. Periodically (and in some cases every generation) data were obtained for unselected traits. These unselected traits included feed consumption and intake behavior, reproduction, allomorphic relationships, and metabolic, immunological, endocrine, and molecular factors. These responses have been integrated into a resource allocation paradigm.

Immunocytochemical localization of L-dopa and dopamine in the brain of the chicken (Gallus domesticus)

A light microscopic immunocytochemical study, with antisera against dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) and dopamine (DA), revealed the dopaergic and dopaminergic systems in the brain of the chicken (Gallus domesticus). L-DOPA- and DA-immunoreactive (ir) elements are similarly distributed throughout the entire brain. Virtually all regions of the brain contained a dense innervation by L-DOPA- and DA-immunopositive varicose fibers. The neuronal cell bodies immunoreactive for the two monoamines were confined to more restricted regions, the hypothalamus, the midbrain and the brainstem. In the hypothalamus, DA- and L-DOPA-ir neurons were subdivided into a medial periventricular and a lateral group. The medial group starts at the level of the anterior commissure, in the ventral part of the nucleus periventricularis hypothalami, and continues in a more dorsal periventricular position caudally into the dorsal tuberal hypothalamic region. Densely labeled cerebrospinal fluid contacting cells can be observed in the paraventricular organ. The lateral group consists of immunopositive neurons loosely arranged in the lateral hypothalamic area and in the nucleus mamillaris lateralis. Most of the dopaminergic cell groups, identified in the hypothalamus of mammals, could be observed in the chicken, with the exception of the tuberoinfundibular group. The majority of L-DOPA- and DA-ir perikarya is, however, situated in the mesencephalic tegmentum, in the area ventralis of Tsai and in the nucleus tegmenti pedunculo-pontinus, pars compacta, the avian homologues of, respectively, the ventral tegmental area and the substantia nigra of mammals. In the pons, dense groups of cells are found in the locus coeruleus and in the nucleus subcoeruleus ventralis and dorsalis. A few labeled cells appear in and around the nucleus olivaris superior in the most caudal part of the metencephalic tegmentum. In the medulla oblongata, L-DOPA- and DA-ir cells can be seen at the level of the nucleus of the solitary tract and in a ventrolateral complex. A comparison with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunocytochemistry revealed TH-immunopositive neurons greatly outnumbering the cells exhibiting DA and L-DOPA immunoreactivity. These results are discussed in relation to catecholaminergic systems previously reported in avian species and in the mammalian brain.

[The regulation of feed intake and selection with special reference to poultry]

Feed intake is regulated in a dialogue between the animal and the feed, which is influenced by numerous factors. The hypothalamus has a central integrative function. Furthermore, caudal brain areas (medulla oblongata, pons) are of importance because these areas are relays of peripheral signals and gustatory afferents. All peripheral informations are integrated by various neurotransmitters and neurohormones. The function of this neuronal system is not exactly known yet. Sensorial informations, mechano-, chemo- and osmoreceptors of the gastrointestinal tract and gastrointestinal hormones are discussed as influences of the periphery. The physiological satiety function of cholecystokinin is questionable in poultry. Hepatic chemoreceptors, which are activated by various metabolites, influence the amount of feed ingested. The feed choice appears to be regulated by the same mechanisms. Our knowledge about the translation of peripheral signals into choice behaviour by changes of neurotransmitter systems is limited.

Peripheral and central control of food intake

To either increase or decrease body weight of poultry, an understanding of food intake regulation is essential. Although it is advantageous to increase food intake in market birds, it is desirable to decrease intake in breeders. Recent studies have shown that the digestive tract, liver, and brain are all involved in food intake regulation. In this review, the role of various neurotransmitters and metabolic substrates in food intake regulation, both within the central nervous system as well as in the periphery, is discussed. In addition, how the strain of the bird or the physiological state of the animal influences the response to various compounds is discussed.

Ionostatic control of food intake in the domestic fowl

It has been suggested that there is ionostatic control of food intake in which calcium, acting in the hypothalamus, alters food intake. This study was conducted to determine the effects of intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of calcium on food and water intake in both broiler and Leghorn cockerels. The ICV injection of 50, 100, or 150 mM CaCl2 had no significant affect on food or water intake in Leghorn cockerels. In broilers, the ICV injection of 50 mM CaCl2 significantly increased food intake. This effect appeared to be due to Ca++ as equivalent amounts of Cl- given as NaCl had no effect on food intake nor did isosmotic solutions of NaCl. The effect of Ca++ on water intake in broilers is equivocal as it increased water intake in one experiment while decreasing it in another. Whereas these results support the hypothesis of a role for calcium in food intake regulation in broilers, they do not support the existence of a specific ionostatic control mechanism.

The effects of adrenergic, opioid and pancreatic polypeptidergic compounds on feeding and other behaviors in neonatal leghorn chicks

The present study examined the effects of intracerebral (IC) administration of pancreatic polypeptide (PP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), norepinephrine (NE), dynorphin and naloxone on food intake in 2-day-old Leghorn chicks. Of the compounds studied, only PP (20 micrograms) and naloxone (10 and 20 micrograms) elevated food intake significantly as compared to saline injections. NPY, a potent orexigenic agent in mammals, did not elevate consumption significantly in a dose-related fashion. This latter finding was attributed to the occurrence of tonic-clonic convulsions following NPY administration. However, for those chicks which did not exhibit behavioral convulsions, food intake appeared to be elevated by 1, 5 and 10 micrograms of NPY. Similarly, NE did not elevate food intake but instead induced sedation and narcolepsy, a behavioral response which could be distinguished from the convulsions observed after NPY. In a separate group of chicks, the effect of NPY on cortical activity was examined. Bipolar electrodes were used to record EEG activity before and after IC injections of saline, NPY or NE. The behavioral convulsions induced by NPY corresponded with an increase in high amplitude sharp-wave activity, which persisted for up to 30 min post-injection. Collectively, these results suggest that the neurochemical substrates for feeding in 2-day-old Leghorn chicks are distinct from those underlying food intake in adult mammals.

Medial hypothalamic serotonin: effects on deprivation and norepinephrine-induced eating

Evidence to date suggests an inhibitory role for serotonin (5-HT) in the regulation of feeding behavior. In the present study, hypothalamic 5-HT was investigated for its anorexic potency under different feeding conditions. In fasted rats, 5-HT (1.1-4.4 micrograms) injected into the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), produced a reliable dose-dependent reduction in food consumption. Under satiated conditions, this inhibitory effect was significantly larger and apparent at lower doses (down to 0.1 micrograms), in animals induced to eat by PVN injection of norepinephrine (NE). Tests with receptor antagonists, injected into the PVN immediately prior to 5-HT, revealed a dose-dependent blockade of 5-HT's action by the serotonergic blockers, metergoline, methysergide and cinanserin. While the effect of 5-HT was somewhat attenuated by administration of certain beta-adrenergic and phenothiazine-type dopamine receptor antagonists, 5-HT was totally resistant to the actions of more selective dopamine blockers and of the cholinergic and histaminergic antagonists, atropine and dexbrompheniramine. PVN injection of various serotonergic compounds, known to inhibit feeding when peripherally administered, also suppressed NE-induced feeding in a dose-related manner (fluoxetine = dl-norfenfluramine greater than quipazine greater than chlorimipramine greater than dl-fenfluramine). Further tests with PVN administration of the dextro isomer and metabolite of fenfluramine showed a considerably stronger inhibitory effect with d-norfenfluramine as compared to dexfenfluramine, and a particular effectiveness of peripherally injected dexfenfluramine in NE-injected rats, at doses at least 10-fold higher than centrally effective doses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)