title: Repeated transcranial direct current stimulation reduces food craving in Wistar rats.
abstract: It has been suggested that food craving-an intense desire to consume a specific food (particularly foods high in sugar and fat)-can lead to obesity. This behavior has also been associated with abuse of other substances, such as drugs. Both drugs and food cause dependence by acting on brain circuitry involved in reward, motivation, and decision-making processes. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) can be activated following evocation and is implicated in alterations in food behavior and craving. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a noninvasive brain stimulation technique capable of modulates brain activity significantly, has emerged as a promising treatment to inhibit craving. This technique is considered safe and inexpensive; however, there is scant research using animal models. Such studies could help elucidate the behavioral and molecular mechanisms of eating disorders, including food craving. The aim of our study was to evaluate palatable food consumption in rats receiving tDCS treatment (anode right/cathode left). Eighteen adult male Wistar rats were randomized by weight and divided into three groups (n = 6/group): control, with no stimulation; sham, receiving daily 30 s tDCS (500 μA) sessions for 8 consecutive days; and tDCS, receiving daily 20 min tDCS (500 μA) sessions for 8 consecutive days. All rats were evaluated for locomotor activity and anxiety-like behavior. A palatable food consumption test was performed at baseline and on treatment completion (24 h after the last tDCS session) under fasting and feeding conditions and showed that tDCS decreased food craving, thus corroborating human studies. This result confirms the important role of the prefrontal cortex in food behavior, which can be modulated by noninvasive brain stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology of Pain and Neuromodulation Laboratory - Preclinical Research, Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil; Graduate Program in Biological Sciences - Physiology, Institute of Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil.
authors.forename: I C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Macedo
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology of Pain and Neuromodulation Laboratory - Preclinical Research, Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil; Graduate Program in Medicine - Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology of Pain and Neuromodulation Laboratory - Preclinical Research, Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil; Graduate Program in Biological Sciences - Physiology, Institute of Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vercelino
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology of Pain and Neuromodulation Laboratory - Preclinical Research, Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology of Pain and Neuromodulation Laboratory - Preclinical Research, Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil; Graduate Program in Medicine - Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Laste
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology of Pain and Neuromodulation Laboratory - Preclinical Research, Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil; Graduate Program in Biological Sciences - Physiology, Institute of Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil.
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology of Pain and Neuromodulation Laboratory - Preclinical Research, Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil; Graduate Program in Biological Sciences - Physiology, Institute of Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil.
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Scarabelot
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology of Pain and Neuromodulation Laboratory - Preclinical Research, Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil; Graduate Program in Biological Sciences - Physiology, Institute of Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology of Pain and Neuromodulation Laboratory - Preclinical Research, Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, United States.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fregni
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology of Pain and Neuromodulation Laboratory - Preclinical Research, Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil; Graduate Program in Medicine - Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Caumo
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology of Pain and Neuromodulation Laboratory - Preclinical Research, Department of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil; Graduate Program in Biological Sciences - Physiology, Institute of Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil; Graduate Program in Medicine - Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil. Electronic address: iracitorres@gmail.com.
authors.forename: I L S
authors.initials: ILS
authors.lastname: Torres
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D001069:Appetite Regulation; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D066249:Craving; D002149:Energy Intake; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000502:physiology; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation / Q000009:adverse effects; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
keywords: Craving; Palatable food; Prefrontal cortex; Transcranial direct current stimulation