QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Burden, V. R. Articles by Martin, R. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Burden, V. R. Articles by Martin, R. J.

Activity of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis is Elevated in Rats with Activity-Based Anorexia^{1, 2, 3,}

Departments of Foods and Nutrition ^* Animal and Dairy Science, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602

Activity-based anorexia is characterized by suppressed food intake and excessive physical activity. These behaviors are typical of persons with anorexia nervosa. Activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is known to be elevated in anorexia nervosa. We investigated the status of this axis in activity-based anorexia. Meal fed-control (MFC) and meal fed-wheel running (MFWR) rats were given access to food for 90 min daily; MFWR animals were allowed access to an activity wheel the remainder of the day. The experiment terminated when MFWR animals reached 75% of pre-experimental body weight (males 3.9 ± 0.3 d; females 4.2 ± 0.2 d). Male and female MFWR rats consumed less food than MFC animals, while maintaining a high level of wheel running. Corticosterone concentrations were significantly elevated in MFWR animals. Corticotropin-releasing hormone mRNA concentrations in the paraventricular nucleus were not different. Relative adrenal gland weights were greater and thymus gland weights were lower in MFWR animals. Changes in food intake could not be explained by differences in insulin, glucose, ß-hydroxybutyrate or norepinephrine concentrations. Our results suggest increased activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in activity-based anorexia.

KEY WORDS: • glucocorticoids • gene expression • food intake • exercise • rats

¹ Presented in part at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, April 25, 1991, Atlanta, GA [Burden, V. R., White, B. D. & Martin, R. J. (1991) Adrenal output increases in activity-based anorexia: possible involvement of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. FASEB J. 5: (abs. 7470)].

² Supported by the Georgia Experiment Station, project no. 527.

³ The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 USC section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

⁴ To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Manuscript received 14 December 1992. Revision accepted 8 March 1993.