Study on an animal model of bulimia nervosa using prenatally stressed offspring rats

2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 14570932
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: TSUJIMURA Toru Nagasaki University, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Associate Professor, 大学院・医歯薬学総合研究科, 助教授 (70236892)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NAKANE Yosibumi Nagasaki University, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Professor, 大学院・医歯薬学総合研究科, 教授 (80039833) ; HAYASHIDA Masaki Nagasaki University, Health Research Center, Associate Professor, 保健管理センター, 助教授 (70264223) ; TSUJITA Takahiro Nagasaki University, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Lecturer, 大学院・医歯薬学総合研究科, 講師 (40304919) ; IMAMURA Akira Nagasaki University, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Lecturer, 大学院・医歯薬学総合研究科, 講師 (40325642)
• Project Period (FY): 2002 – 2003
• Keywords: binge eating / bulimia nervosa / prenatal stress / animal model / food restriction / affective disorder

Research Abstract

We have tried to produce an animal model demonstrating bulimia nervosa. The latter fetal period in rats is a very important phase in the constitution of the monoaminergic neuronal system. Pregnant rats were given 0.2 ml subcutaneous saline injection treatments in the last week of gestation.
At thirteen weeks of age, there was a significant increase of food intake per body weight in the male prenatally stressed group during first one hour after 2 hours restricted feeding daily for 3 weeks and 24 hours deprivation treatments. And there was a significant increase of food intake per body weight in the male prenatally stressed group in the light phase.
Several investigators have demonstrated that rats become hyperphagia when they are released from a time restricted feeding schedule. In this study, various types of stress which consisted of restricted feeding, communication box (CB) and chronic unpredictable variable stress (CVS) were given for each prenatally stressed offsprings and control rats. CB is a psychological stress and restricted feeding stress and CVS are physical stress. In our previous experiments, CVS caused depressive state for the prenatally stressed rats. CB may be as strong stress as CVS for the prenatally stressed rats. Only restricted feeding stress showed significantry increase hyperphagia compared to control group in prenatally stressed rats. It has been said that the hyperphagia (binge eating) related eating disorder, espesially for bulimia nervosa.
The prenatally stressed offspring rats can not only be regarded as a vulnerability model of affective disorder, but may also have a hyperphagia tendency. It is very interesting that the comorbidity of bulimia nervosa and affective disorder is well documented.