title: Effects of short- and long-term wheel deprivation on running.
abstract: The effects of wheel deprivation on running were explored. Eight male rats, well habituated to wheels, were each deprived of wheels for periods of 0, 1, 3, and 10 h during the night (Experiment 1) and 0, 1, 3, and 10 days (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, as wheel deprivation lengthened, wheel running in the first 24 h of access increased. After 10 days of wheel deprivation subsequent daily running decreased (by 70%), and feeding was suppressed for several days. This temporary decline may be due to detraining and the rats physical inability to run more. Experiment 3 with 12 rats found that the running increase after 3-h wheel deprivation was proportional to the amount of running normally occurring during the deprivation period. Over the short-term, running appears to be regulated like other appetitive behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eikelboom
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors