Objective Recent decades have seen a rapid rise in the prevalence of obesity across the globe. This rise can be attributed, at least in part, to overconsumption of so-called junk foods, which are highly palatable and densely caloric. These foods, in particular, drive activity in the brain's mesolimbic circuitry. The mesolimbic system - primarily comprising dopamine cells in the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens cells that they project to - responds to environmental stimuli, especially rewarding stimuli, to generate appropriate behaviour. These circuits are heavily implicated in drug addiction and, accordingly, obesity is increasingly being conceptualized along similar lines as other addictions, e.g. as involving dysfuncyion of reward processing. With respect to food responses, what is currently unclear is how the post-ingestive consequences associated with food, i.e. their caloric and nutritional content, interacts with the sensory qualities to drive mesolimbic activity and associated behaviours. In this proposal, I will use a behavioural model known as flavour-nutrient conditioning to explore the precise role for post-ingestive signals in motivated behaviour. This form of conditioning uses direct infusion of nutrients into the stomach to vary the caloric load associated with different taste/food stimuli. In Aim 1, real-time dopamine measurements will be made with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry while rats respond and/or receive rewards that have previously been conditioned with either intragastric nutrient (CS+) or intragastric water (CS-). In Aim 2, ex vivo tissue slices will be taken from rats at various times after the induction of flavour-nutrient conditioning so that the cellular correlates of this process can be determined using whole cell electrophysiology. Obtaining this grant will help me transition back into the European system after spending over 6 years as a postdoc in the US and will be an important step towards establishing my own laboratory. Fields of science medical and health scienceshealth sciencesnutritionobesity Programme(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG - Marie-Curie Action: "Career Integration Grants" Call for proposal FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MC-CIG - Support for training and career development of researcher (CIG) Coordinator UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER EU contribution € 100 000,00 Address UNIVERSITY ROAD LE1 7RH Leicester United Kingdom See on map Region East Midlands (England) Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire Leicester Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Marie Adams (Mrs.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data
