A diet promoting sugar dependency causes behavioral cross-sensitization to a low dose of amphetamine.
Previous research in this laboratory has shown that a diet of intermittent excessive sugar consumption produces a state with neurochemical and behavioral similarities to drug dependency. The present study examined whether female rats on various regimens of sugar access would show behavioral cross-sensitization to a low dose of amphetamine. After a 30-min baseline measure of locomotor activity (day 0), animals were maintained on a cyclic diet of 12-h deprivation followed by 12-h access to 10% sucrose solution and chow pellets (12 h access starting 4 h after onset of the dark period) for 21 days. Locomotor activity was measured again for 30 min at the beginning of days 1 and 21 of sugar access. Beginning on day 22, all rats were maintained on ad libitum chow. Nine days later locomotor activity was measured in response to a single low dose of amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg). The animals that had experienced cyclic sucrose and chow were hyperactive in response to amphetamine compared with four control groups (ad libitum 10% sucrose and chow followed by amphetamine injection, cyclic chow followed by amphetamine injection, ad libitum chow with amphetamine, or cyclic 10% sucrose and chow with a saline injection). These results suggest that a diet comprised of alternating deprivation and access to a sugar solution and chow produces bingeing on sugar that leads to a long lasting state of increased sensitivity to amphetamine, possibly due to a lasting alteration in the dopamine system.
Princeton University, Department of Psychology, Green Hall, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006948:Hyperkinesis / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D013395:Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D015259:Dopamine Agents; D013395:Sucrose; D000661:Amphetamine