Activity-based anorexia during adolescence does not promote binge eating during adulthood in female rats.
OBJECTIVE
Given the frequency of transition from anorexia nervosa to bulimia nervosa, this study investigated whether a history of activity-based anorexia (ABA) during adolescence would promote binge eating during adulthood in female rats.


METHODS
Adolescent rats were given 1-h unlimited access to chow and ad libitum access to a running wheel until body weight reached <80%, indicating the development of ABA. During adulthood, all groups were given 21 days of access to a palatable food for 2 h/day and ad libitum access to chow.


RESULTS
During adolescence, rats in the ABA paradigm developed increased wheel running and decreased food intake, reaching <80% of body weight after 3 days. However, there were no significant differences between groups in the amount of binge food consumed during adulthood.


CONCLUSIONS
A brief episode of ABA during adolescence did not lead to increased binge eating later in life. Longer-term models are needed to determine whether a propensity toward binge eating may result from more sustained ABA during adolescence.
Cai
Wenli
W
Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08854, USA.
Bocarsly
Miriam E
ME
Arner
Candice N
CN
Walsh
B Timothy
BT
Foltin
Richard W
RW
Hoebel
Bartley G
BG
Barbarich-Marsteller
Nicole C
NC
D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D009043:Motor Activity; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley