title: Variations in the neonatal environment modulate adult behavioral and brain responses to palatable food withdrawal in adult female rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Early handling alters adult behavioral responses to palatable food and to its withdrawal following a period of chronic exposure. However, the central mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are not known. Since neonatal handling has persistent effects on stress and anxiety responses, we hypothesized that its involvement in the aforementioned association may be associated with differential neuroadaptations in the amygdala during withdrawal periods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Litters were randomized into two groups: handled (H, removed from their dam for 10min per day from the first to the tenth postnatal day and placed in an incubator at 32°C) and non-handled (NH). Experiment 1: on PNDs 80-100, females were assigned to receive palatable food+rat chow for 15 or 30 days, and these two groups were compared in terms of palatable food preference, body weight and abdominal fat deposition. In Experiment 2, H and NH rats were exposed to a chronic diet of palatable food+rat chow for 15 days, followed by (a) no withdrawal, (b) 24h withdrawal from palatable food (receiving only rat chow) or (c) 7-day withdrawal from palatable food (receiving only rat chow). Body weight, 10-min rebound palatable food intake, abdominal fat deposition, serum corticosterone as well as TH and pCREB levels in the amygdala were then compared between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Experiment 1-chronic exposure to palatable food induces comparable metabolic effects after 15 and 30 days. Experiment 2-neonatal handling is associated with a peculiar response to palatable food withdrawal following chronic exposure for 15 days. Rats exposed to early handling ingested less of this food after a 24h withdrawal period, and displayed increased amygdala TH and pCREB levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Variations in the neonatal environment affect both behavioral responses and amygdala neuroadaptation to acute withdrawal from a palatable diet. These findings contribute to the comprehension of the mechanisms that link early life events and altered feeding behavior and related morbidities such as obesity in adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente, Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana Barcellos
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Colman
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniela Pereira
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Laureano
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente, Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiane Madeira
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krolow
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dalmaz
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente, Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carla da Silva
authors.initials: Cda S
authors.lastname: Benetti
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente, Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: 00032386@ufrgs.br.
authors.forename: Patrícia Pelufo
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Silveira
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D050882:CREB-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D004777:Environment; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006234:Handling, Psychological; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000451:nursing*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D050882:CREB-Binding Protein
keywords: Chronic exposure; Neonatal handling; Palatable food; Withdrawal