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Animal Models

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) acts in the nucleus accumbens to reduce hedonic drive

International Journal of Obesity volume 43, pages 928–932 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

Obesity develops, in part, due to frequent overconsumption. Therefore, it is important to identify the regulatory mechanisms that promote eating beyond satiety. Previously, we have demonstrated that an acute microinjection of the neuropeptide PACAP into the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) attenuates palatable food consumption in satiated rats. To better understand the mechanism by which intra-NAcc PACAP selectively blocks palatable food intake, the current work employed a rodent taste reactivity paradigm to assess the impact of PACAP on the hedonic processing of a 1% sucrose solution. Our results revealed that bilateral intra-NAcc PACAP infusions significantly reduced appetitive orofacial responses to sucrose. Interestingly, the effect of PACAP on the expression of aversive responses to sucrose was dependent on the rostral-caudal placement of the microinjection. In a separate group of rats, PACAP was microinjected into the hypothalamus (a region of the brain in which PACAP does not attenuate palatable feeding). Here we found that PACAP had no effect on the hedonic perception of the sucrose solution. Taken together, this dataset indicates that PACAP acts in specific subregions of the NAcc to attenuate palatability-induced feeding by reducing the perceived hedonic value of palatable food.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK; DK074734) and the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA: DA035088). We would like to thank Dr. D. Wheeler for his helpful comments on the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53201, USA

    Matthew M. Hurley, Mykel R. Robble, Grace Callan, SuJean Choi & Robert A. Wheeler

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  1. Matthew M. Hurley
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Correspondence to SuJean Choi or Robert A. Wheeler.

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Hurley, M.M., Robble, M.R., Callan, G. et al. Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) acts in the nucleus accumbens to reduce hedonic drive. Int J Obes 43, 928–932 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-018-0154-6

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