Oestradiol Differentially Influences Feeding Behaviour Depending on Diet Composition in Female Rhesus Monkeys

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Zachary Johnson, Emory University; J Lowe, Emory University; Vasiliki Michopoulos, Emory University; CJ Moore, Emory University; Mark Wilson, Emory University; Donna Toufexis, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2013-08-01
• Publisher: Wiley: 12 months
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jne.12054
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Neuroendocrinology
• ISSN: 0953-8194
• Volume: 25
• Issue: 8
• Start Page: 729
• End Page: 741
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was supported by HD046501 (MW), MH081816 (DT), F31MH085445 (VM); and, in part, RR00165
• Keywords: CYNOMOLGUS MONKEYS; SELF-ADMINISTERED COCAINE; SEROTONIN REUPTAKE TRANSPORTER; SOCIAL-STATUS; MENSTRUAL-CYCLE PHASE; Neurosciences & Neurology; FOOD-INTAKE; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Science & Technology; oestradiol; social stress; STRESS-INDUCED CORTISOL; OVARIECTOMIZED RATS; NORMALIZES BODY-WEIGHT; Endocrinology & Metabolism; food intake; diet; Neurosciences; rhesus monkey; SEX-DIFFERENCES
• Research Categories: Biology, Neuroscience; Psychology, General

Abstract

In females, cyclical changes in the ovarian hormone oestradiol are known to modulate feeding behaviour. However, what is less clear is how these behavioural effects of oestradiol are modified by the macronutrient content of a diet. In the present study, we report data showing that oestradiol treatment results in both significantly smaller meals and a reduced total calorie intake in ovariectomised, socially-housed female rhesus macaques when only chow diet is available. Conversely, during a choice dietary condition where both palatable and chow options are available, oestradiol treatment had no observable, attenuating effect on calorie intake. During this choice dietary phase, all animals consumed more of the palatable diet than chow diet; however, oestradiol treatment appeared to further increase preference for the palatable diet. Finally, oestradiol treatment increased snacking behaviour (i.e. the consumption of calories outside of empirically defined meals), regardless of diet condition. These findings illustrate how oestradiol differentially influences feeding behaviour depending on the dietary environment and provides a framework in which we can begin to examine the mechanisms underlying these observed changes.