Some behavioral effects of transecting ventral or dorsal fiber connections of the septum in the rat.

The behavioral effects of large electrolytic lesions in the septal area were compared with those of knife cuts that severed the ventral or dorsal connections of this structure. Rats with septal lesions lost weight and were transiently hyperdipsic. Ventral cuts produced similar effects, but dorsal cuts did not. All three operations decreased the latency to eat in a novel environment, increased the intake of sweetened milk, enhanced acquisition of a food-rewarded running response, and facilitated acquisition of a shuttle box avoidance response, The lesion, but neither of the knife cuts, reduced the effects of punishment and impaired the acquisition of a one-way avoidance response.     

The septum: neural systems involved in eating, drinking, irritability, nuricide, copulation, and activity in rats.

Eating, drinking, irritability, muricide, and copulation were measured in 45 male rats before and after one of three coronal knife cuts in the septal region or a control operation; in addition, activity was measured postoperatively. (a) Cuts posteroventral to the septum resulted in slight hypophagia, marked hyperdipsia, irritability, asexuality, and decrease in activity. (b) Cuts of the fornix resulted only in slight decrease in activity. (c) Cuts through the anterior septum resulted in irritability, slight hyposexuality, and slight decrease in activity. No significant correlations between the various behavioral effects were found. It was suggested that the neural pathways mediating eating, drinking, irritability, muricide, copulation, and activity are relatively distinct and that neural activity in the septal region probably does not influence behavior in any unitary fashion.     

Lactose ingestion in the adult golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus)

Adult mammals generally demonstrate a lower preference for the disaccharide sugar lactose than for any other common sugar, and because adults typically have low levels of the intestinal enzyme lactase, lactose ingestion may cause gastrointestinal distress. The lactose intake of adult golden hamsters was examined in three experiments; the main findings were: (a) hamsters allowed to choose between tap water and lactose solutions (maximum concentration = 32% weight/volume) over a 20-day period showed a clear preference for lactose solutions and ingested substantial quantities of lactose (up to 3 g/100 g body weight/day) without noticeable adverse effects; (b) hamsters consuming a single diet with lactose added (maximum concentration = 50%) over a period of days ingested up to 3.42 g/100 g body weight/day of lactose without noticeable adverse effects; (c) both hamsters with prior exposure to lactose solutions and those without such exposure consumed similar amounts of 32% lactose solution over an 8-day period, suggesting that hamsters' lactose intake does not depend on the occurrence of adaptation. It is suggested that the fermentative capacity of the hamster's pregastric pouch may underlie this animal's unusual tolerance for lactose.     

Social mediation of puberty: an adaptive female strategy?

Females of two hamster species with contrasting degrees of gregariousness were tested for social influences on the timing of sexual maturation. When female dwarf hamsters (Phodopus sungorus campbelli), a gregarious species, were housed with an adult male at weaning, they began estrous cycles significantly earlier than when they were housed alone or with their family. Females housed with one or two female siblings at weaning matured significantly later than did all other females. Once mature, females housed with familiar males conceived later than did females housed with unfamiliar males. Rearing conditions also affected body weight; those housed with female siblings grew more slowly and attained a lower weight at 8 weeks of age than did females in all other groups. In contrast, when weanling female golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), a solitary species, were housed with either an adult male, two female siblings, or alone, they did not differ in their rate of sexual maturation or growth. It is suggested that the degree to which social factors can accelerate or delay puberty is an adaptive characteristic and may be correlated with the degree of gregariousness of a species.     

Effects of body fat on weight concerns, dating, and sexual activity: a longitudinal analysis of black and white adolescent girls.

Using data from a 2-year longitudinal study of 200 Black and White adolescent girls (mean age was 13.8 years at study entry), the authors investigated the implications of differences in body fat for dating and sexual activity and the implications of heterosexual activity for dieting and weight concerns. Among White girls, and Black girls with college-educated mothers, more body fat was associated with a lower probability of dating, even among nonobese girls. However, dating and sexual experience were unrelated to subsequent dieting and weight concerns. For both Blacks and Whites, body fat was the key determinant of dieting, weight dissatisfaction, and eating concerns. These findings indicate that adolescent girls' concerns about weight have a basis in real experiential differences, and efforts to promote healthy attitudes and eating habits may be more effective if the experiential implications of weight differences are taken into account.     

Relationship between dietary restraint, energy intake, physical activity, and body weight: a prospective analysis.

Dietary, activity, and body weight differences in high- and low-restrained eaters and the independent impact of dietary restraint on body weight change were evaluated in 287 adults (141 men, 146 women) followed over a 1-year period. Analyses of measures of energy intake, physical activity, and dietary restraint indicated that high-restrained eaters did not differ in physical activity compared to low-restrained eaters at baseline but were ingesting significantly fewer kcal/lb and a higher percentage of the diet from fat. Body mass was significantly greater in both high-restrained men and high-restrained women than in their low-restrained counterparts. Regression modeling procedures revealed that weight and body mass at baseline were related to weight gain in men. In contrast, weight gain in women was predicted by baseline weight and higher restraint scores. These results indicate that dietary restraint is associated with weight gain in women but not in men.     

Connecting theory to fat talk: Body dissatisfaction mediates the relationships between weight discrepancy,upward comparison,body surveillance,and fat talk

The fat talk literature is meager in terms of offering theoretical explanations for women's self-disparaging communication. The research presented here sought to establish a relationship between three prominent body image theories – self-discrepancy theory, social comparison theory, and objectification theory – and fat talk by proposing body dissatisfaction as a potential mediating mechanism. Young adult women (N = 201) completed an online questionnaire. As predicted, results revealed that body dissatisfaction significantly mediated the relationships between weight discrepancy, upward comparison, body surveillance and fat talk. Effect size estimates indicated that the size of each indirect effect was medium in magnitude.     

ACTH4-10 produces a transient decrease in septal hyperemotionality

The administration of doses of ACTH4-10 that have been shown to be effective in producing enhanced peripheral nerve regeneration did not produce the enhanced rate of decline in hyperemotionality produced by administration of the ACTH4-9 variant Org 2766. Long-term changes in septal reactions in training situations were likewise not affected by ACTH4-10. These results indicate that, despite similar peripheral nerve growth effects, these two ACTH-related agents (ACTH4-10 and Org 2766) produce quite different long- and short-term effects on rats with septal area damage.     

Effects of weight cycling on metabolic control in male outpatients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Examined the effects of weight cycling (i.e., losing and regaining or gaining and relosing body weight) versus weight maintenance on metabolic control in 327 adult, male, outpatient veterans with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) who were followed over an average of 3.4 years. When compared with weight maintenance, weight cycling, whether defined as a categorical or as a continuous variable, was not found to be associated with deficits in metabolic control or increased need for hypoglycemic medication. Patients who weight cycled had fasting serum glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels comparable to those who remained within 10% of their initial body weights, and these levels of metabolic control were obtained with similar classes and dosages of hypoglycemic medication.     

Septal damage in infant and adult rats: Effects on activity,emotionality, and muricide

Septal lesions produced signs of increased emotionality in the adult rat, the septal syndrome (hyperresponsiveness to handling; in the open field: decreased rearing and ambulation activity, increased defecation, deficient habituation) being more or less complete and more or less marked depending on the age at which the lesion was performed (7 days or 3 months), the extent of the lesion (restricted to the septum or extending to more ventrally located structures) and the environmental conditions in which the animals were reared (in groups or in isolation). All septal lesions provoked a similar and significant increase in the probability of occurrence of mouse-killing behavior, irrespective of age of operation, extent of lesion and kind of rearing environment. In a 24-hour actography starting at 11:30 a.m., the rats septalectomized at adult age were less active than controls during the initial period, while all septals were markedly more active than controls during the night period. Early septal lesions only transiently disrupted weight gain. The results obtained point to complex interactions between the effects of early brain damage and environmental conditions.     

Heavenly Bodies: Religious Issues in Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Eating Disorders

Minimal attention has been given to the role that religion may play in the development, maintenance, and treatment of eating disorders. Many religions espouse specific doctrines about the nature and purpose of the body as well as prescribe particular body grooming and eating practices. These doctrines and practices influence individuals' schemas and experiences of the body and eating, which can either contribute to or provide protection from eating disorders. This paper describes pathways through which religious beliefs and practices may impact risk for and maintenance of eating disorders. Methods for integrating religious concepts, practices, and resources into standard cognitive-behavioral treatment for eating disorders are discussed, including interventions that address purported religiously oriented contributory and protective factors. Treatment of a religious client with an eating disorder is described to illustrate the incorporation of religiously oriented interventions in practice.     

Food hoarding behaviour in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus): Effects of body weight loss and hoard-size discrimination

Two experiments investigated some of the factors that influence food hoarding behaviour in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus). In Experiment 1, hamsters given limited access to food failed to increase the amount of food they consumed at each meal. Instead, they exhibited a significant increase in the amount of food taken to hoard during the limited access period, and this permitted hamsters who were allowed to retain their hoard to maintain body weight at levels comparable to free-feeding controls. Hamsters that were not allowed to retain hoarded food rapidly lost body weight. There was also an inverse correlation between body weight and amount of food taken to hoard in all hamsters given limited access to food, suggesting that body weight loss was one factor directly related to increased hoarding during periods of limited food accessibility. Experiment 2 investigated the effect of hoard-size discrimination on food hoarding in hamsters by artificially manipulating hoard size. The results suggested that hoarding behaviour could be influenced by artificially depleting and repleting the hoard, and this factor appears to influence hoarding in the absence of any significant changes in body weight. These results are discussed in relation to the kinds of adaptive feeding strategies that hamsters may utilize in their natural environment.     

The role of the accessory and main olfactory systems in maternal behavior of the primiparous rat

The objective of this study was to analyze the respective roles of the main and accessory olfactory systems in the development of maternal behavior in the primiparous Wistar rat. Females underwent one of the following treatments: vomeronasal nerve section (VN), irrigation of nasal cavities with 5% ZnSO4 solution (ZN), surgical control, saline irrigation control, and normal control. Surgical or first irrigation were done before mating occurred. Irrigations were done every 7 days thereafter. The dams and their litters were observed from the day the litter was born (Day 1) through Day 16. Pup weights and temperatures were recorded daily. Home cages were checked daily for changes in nest location and number of times pups were found out of the nest. Retrieving tests were conducted on Days 4, 7, 10, and 13. The following behavioral items were observed: number of pup retrievals , number of times mother nosed or licked pups, percentage of litter returned to nest by end of test, dam self-grooming, dam climbing or rising, and dam digging or burrowing in shavings. The VN dams and their litters were not significantly different from the control dams and their litters on any of the measures taken. The ZN dams and their litters were not significantly different from their controls on all measures except for pup body temperature which was slightly lower from Day 13 through day 16 and pup body weight which was slightly lower from Day 12 through Day 16. Since these differences are very small, they do not seem to indicate a serious deficiency in maternal behavior. The results indicate that adequate maternal behavior develops with either of the two systems intact.     

‘It’s not a diet,it’s a lifestyle’: a longitudinal,data-prompted interview study of weight loss maintenance

Objective: To advance understanding of the individual and environmental factors underpinning weight loss maintenance. Design: Semi-structured, data-prompted interviews were conducted with twelve overweight adult participants (three men, nine women) who had lost over 5% of their body weight in the year before baseline. Participants gathered daily data through wireless scales, activity monitors (Fitbit?), ecological momentary assessment and experience sampling (taking photographs, writing notes). They were interviewed at 3- and 6-months post baseline. Interview stimuli included personal data of weight and activity graphs, correlations of psychological factors, and self-generated notes and photographs. Interview data were analysed using the Framework Method, applying pre-specified maintenance-relevant theoretical themes. Results: The theoretical Framework provided a good fit for the narratives, with five main themes underpinning successful weight loss maintenance: sustained motivation, effective self-regulation, plentiful resources, habit formation and a supportive environment. Additionally, participants reported an identity shift from being a dieter to accepting a new healthy lifestyle. Goal prioritising and allowing for occasional controlled lapses enhanced weight loss maintenance. Conclusions: This study successfully used the novel method of data-prompted interviews to explore weight loss maintenance experiences with new explanations emerging from the data. Future research should further develop behaviour change maintenance theory and data-prompted interview method.     

I can’t stop looking at them: Interactive effects of body mass index and weight dissatisfaction on attention towards body shape photographs

Although attentional biases toward body-related information contribute to the etiology and maintenance of body dissatisfaction (BD) and eating disorders (EDs), attentional disengagement in women with BD and EDs is not clear. The present study investigated the association between weight dissatisfaction and attentional disengagement from body-related pictures and the possible moderating effect of body mass index (BMI) on this relation. Two hundred and four undergraduate women engaged in an experiment using a pictorial spatial cueing paradigm including fat/thin bodies and neutral household photos. Partial correlations and simple slopes regression analyses were conducted with attentional disengagement index scores of each category of cues. Findings suggested that independent of BMI, weight dissatisfaction was directly associated with attentional disengagement from both fat and thin pictures. In addition, among women with low and medium BMIs, the more they were dissatisfied with their bodyweight, the more difficulty they had disengaging their attention from fat body pictures.     

胖负面身体自我女性对身体信息注意偏向成分的时间进程：一项眼动追踪研究

虽然目前大量研究基于Vitousek和Hollon (1990)提出的饮食失调认知模型对胖负面身体自我图式者或饮食失调者的注意偏向进行探讨, 但对其注意偏向的成分仍未得出一致结论, 且尚无研究查考其时间进程特点。研究采用更具生态效度的身体图片为实验刺激, 刺激呈现时间2000ms, 采用传统经典的点探测范式与眼动追踪技术结合, 探讨胖负面身体自我女性对身体信息注意偏向成分的时间进程。基于前人的工作(Castellanos et al., 2009; Garner, Mogg, & Bradley, 2006), 研究考察了四个眼动数据：首视点定向偏向分数、首视点潜伏期偏向分数、首视点注视时间偏向以及总注视时间偏向分数, 系统探讨了注意定向、探测时间、最初注意维持/回避以及总体注意维持/回避。眼动数据发现, 胖负面身体自我图式者对不同身体图片存在不同的注意偏向模式, 对胖图片为注意警觉—维持模式, 具体表现为早期加速探测、注意定向, 以及最初的注意维持和总体注意维持; 对瘦图片仅为注意警觉, 具体表现为早期加速探测; 行为数据支持实验组对胖图片的注意维持以及对身体图片的注意脱离困难。该结果部分支持Vitousek和Hollon (1990)的模型, 即负面身体自我图式能够易化对图式一致信息的加工, 而未发现对图式不一致信息的回避或抑制。     

The memory-impairing effects of septal GABA receptor activation involve GABAergic septo-hippocampal projection neurons

Septal infusions of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)(A) agonist muscimol impair memory, and the effect likely involves the hippocampus. GABA(A) receptors are present on the perikarya of cholinergic and GABAergic septo-hippocampal (SH) projections. The current experiments determined whether GABAergic SH projections are involved in the memory-impairing effects of septal GABA(A) receptor activation. Experiment 1 tested whether combining septal co-infusions of subeffective doses of muscimol with scopolamine, a drug that selectively influences GABA SH projections, would produce memory deficits. Experiment 2 tested whether hippocampal infusions of a GABA(A) receptor antagonist would block the effects of septal muscimol infusions. Fifteen minutes prior to assessing spontaneous alternation (SA) or training in a multiple trial inhibitory avoidance (CMIA) task, male Sprague-Dawley rats were given septal infusions of vehicle, muscimol, scopolamine, or co-infusions of muscimol with scopolamine, or septal infusions of vehicle or muscimol combined with hippocampal infusions of vehicle or bicuculline. Septal co-infusions of muscimol with scopolamine significantly impaired SA and CMIA. Hippocampal bicuculline infusions blocked deficits produced by septal muscimol infusions in SA and attenuated deficits produced in CMIA. Combined, these findings suggest that GABAergic SH projections are involved in the memory-impairing effects of septal GABA receptor activation.     

Perinatal leupeptin retards subsequent acquisition of a visual discrimination task in chicks

Recent discoveries that calcium sensitive proteases (calpains) may play an important role in memory led to investigation of the effects of leupeptin, a calpain inhibitor, on learning. Intracerebral injections of either 0.9% saline, 80 micrograms aprotinin, 306 micrograms glutamate, or 8 or 80 micrograms leupeptin were administered to 95 two-day-old chicks. On Day 10 posthatch, animals were then tested on a task requiring discriminations between pebbles and food pellets. Chicks receiving 8 or 80 micrograms leupeptin or 306 micrograms glutamate were found to be deficient in acquiring the task. Aprotinin, a control serine protease inhibitor, did not retard discrimination learning. None of the drugs tested altered body weight or gross visual skills. These results suggest that retardation produced by leupeptin is not due to nonspecific changes in protease activity, visual competency, or growth. The reported results confirm earlier reports of leupeptin-induced memory impairments in rats.     

Vagus nerve stimulation: a new form of therapeutic brain stimulation

Although the vagus nerve has traditionally been considered to perform efferent functions, in reality it performs significant afferent functions as well, carrying information from the body, head, and neck to the brain. Preliminary studies examining this afferent activity led to the theory that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) could successfully control seizure activity in persons who are refractory to antiepileptic medications. Unlike other forms of brain stimulation, VNS is unable to directly stimulate multiple discrete areas of the brain; however, through several pathways, it is able to relay sensory information to higher brain regions. An implantable VNS device known as the VNSTM NeuroCybernetic Prosthesis (NCP) System has been used in approximately 9,000 epilepsy patients in Europe and the United States since 1994. The implant has reduced seizure frequency by an average of 25% to 30%, with minimal side effects. Studies underway are also showing some degree of success in the management of treatment-refractory depression. The future efficacy of the implantable system in other disorders may depend on whether the implant can be more precisely focused to affect different brain regions. Research in this area is underway.     

Dietary variety, energy regulation, and obesity

Increased variety in the food supply may contribute to the development and maintenance of obesity. Thirty-nine studies examining dietary variety, energy intake, and body composition are reviewed. Animal and human studies show that food consumption increases when there is more variety in a meal or diet and that greater dietary variety is associated with increased body weight and fat. A hypothesized mechanism for these findings is sensory-specific satiety, a phenomenon demonstrating greater reductions in hedonic ratings or intake of foods consumed compared with foods not consumed. Nineteen studies documenting change in preference, intake, and hedonic ratings of food after a food has been eaten to satiation in animals and humans are reviewed, and the theory of sensory-specific satiety is examined. The review concludes with the relevance of oral habituation theory as a unifying construct for the effects of variety and sensory-specific satiety, clinical implications of dietary variety and sensory-specific satiety on energy regulation, and suggestions for future research.