Physiology & BehaviorPub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-08-05DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115045
Yifan Zhao, Chengshi Li, Yibo Jiang, Hongge Jia
{"title":"Eyes tell all: Dissecting attentional bias in social anxiety through emotional faces.","authors":"Yifan Zhao, Chengshi Li, Yibo Jiang, Hongge Jia","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115045","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The present study employed eye-tracking technology and a free-viewing paradigm to explore the mechanisms of attentional bias toward emotional faces in individuals with social anxiety, using real and cartoon faces (angry, happy, disgusted, neutral) as stimuli. In Experiment 1, socially anxious individuals demonstrated significantly reduced total fixation duration and count on the eye regions of all four emotional face types presented by real people compared to controls. They also showed shorter fixation durations and fewer fixations on the facial area associated with disgust for real faces. In Experiment 2, both groups had longer total fixation duration and higher fixation counts on happy and neutral faces than on angry and disgusted faces. The findings suggest that attentional avoidance in socially anxious individuals is pronounced for the eye regions of real emotional faces, including positive ones, but not for cartoon faces. This indicates that attentional bias in social anxiety is influenced by both emotional and non-emotional social information in faces.</p>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":" ","pages":"115045"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144789743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Physiology & BehaviorPub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-08-06DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115058
Daniellen Cristhine Castro Alves, Leandro Vaz Toffoli, Wyllian Rafael Silva, Viviane Batista Estrada, Luiz Fernando Veríssimo, Ana Paula Franco Punhagui, Rafaela Pires Erthal, Maria Vitória Oliveira Miguel, Marcus Vinicius de Matos Gomes, Glaura Scantamburlo Alves Fernandes, Gislaine Garcia Pelosi
{"title":"Chronic restraint stress associations with sperm global DNA hypermethylation: Impacts on male reproductive function in rats.","authors":"Daniellen Cristhine Castro Alves, Leandro Vaz Toffoli, Wyllian Rafael Silva, Viviane Batista Estrada, Luiz Fernando Veríssimo, Ana Paula Franco Punhagui, Rafaela Pires Erthal, Maria Vitória Oliveira Miguel, Marcus Vinicius de Matos Gomes, Glaura Scantamburlo Alves Fernandes, Gislaine Garcia Pelosi","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115058","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115058","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent evidence indicates the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in the adaptive biological responses to chronic restraint stress. However, the impact of stress on the epigenetic programming of germ cells and subsequent effects on reproductive capacity remain understudied. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of chronic restraint stress in sperm global DNA methylation and male reproductive function in Wistar rats. The animals were separated into two groups: the chronic restraint stress group (14 sessions) and the control group. After the final stress session, tissues of all the animals were collected for analysis. The stress group exhibited global sperm DNA hypermethylation (p = 0.0095), reduced sperm motility (p = 0.0079), increased sperm abnormalities (p = 0.0159), increased abnormal seminiferous tubules (p = 0.0159), and histopathological abnormalities in the epididymis. In addition, chronic restraint stress induced epididymal tissue reorganization in the caput region, and altered spermatogenic stages. There was a reduction of relative empty vesicle weight (p = 0.0317) and prostate (p = 0.0079). Sperm counts were decreased in the testis (p = 0.0317), in the caput /corpus of the epididymis (p = 0.0285) and cauda (p = 0.0159). These findings suggest that chronic stress can adversely affect male reproductive parameters, suggesting a vulnerability in the epigenetic programming of sperm to stress.</p>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":" ","pages":"115058"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144804625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Physiology & BehaviorPub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-07-25DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115037
Mary Elizabeth Baugh, Monica L Ahrens, Amber K Burns, Rhianna M Sullivan, Abigail N Valle, Alexandra L Hanlon, Alexandra G DiFeliceantonio
{"title":"Metrics of glycemic control but not body weight influence flavor nutrient conditioning in humans.","authors":"Mary Elizabeth Baugh, Monica L Ahrens, Amber K Burns, Rhianna M Sullivan, Abigail N Valle, Alexandra L Hanlon, Alexandra G DiFeliceantonio","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115037","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The modern food landscape, marked by a rising prevalence of highly refined, ultra-processed, and highly palatable foods, combined with genetic and environmental susceptibilities, is widely considered a key factor driving obesity at the population level. Gaining insight into the physiological and behavioral mechanisms that shape food preferences and choices is crucial for understanding obesity's development and informing prevention strategies. One factor influencing habitual eating patterns, which may impact body weight, is flavor-nutrient learning. Research suggests that post-oral signaling is diminished in both animals and humans with obesity, potentially affecting flavor-nutrient learning. By analyzing pooled data from two similar preliminary studies, we found that markers of glycemic control-specifically fasting glucose and HbA1C-rather than BMI, were negatively correlated with changes in flavor liking in our flavor-nutrient learning task. These findings contribute to the expanding body of research on flavor-nutrient learning and underscore the variability in individual responses to these paradigms. Obesity is increasingly recognized as a complex and heterogeneous condition with diverse underlying mechanisms. Together, our findings and existing evidence emphasize the importance of further investigating how phenotypic factors interact to shape food preferences and eating behaviors.</p>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":" ","pages":"115037"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12393117/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144732909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hui Yang, Zhu Gui, Yunling Gao, Wenxiang Yu, Dexin Dang, Ning Zheng, Shaoyong Xu, Jie Wang
{"title":"Chronic adolescent alcohol exposure induces long-term neurofunctional and metabolic dysregulation in adult rats.","authors":"Hui Yang, Zhu Gui, Yunling Gao, Wenxiang Yu, Dexin Dang, Ning Zheng, Shaoyong Xu, Jie Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115133","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115133","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Adolescent chronic drinking has become increasingly prevalent worldwide, imposing significant physical and mental burdens in adulthood. However, the specific effects of different alcohol doses during adolescence on adult physiology remain incompletely understood. In this study, we established a 12-day chronic alcohol exposure model in adolescent rats using different alcohol doses. Behavioral tests, <sup>13</sup>C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were then used to examine behavior, neurotransmitter metabolism, and brain functional connectivity in adulthood. We found that long-term low-dose alcohol exposure impairs hepatic metabolic function. In contrast, high-dose alcohol exposure not only induces hepatic metabolic disorders but also alters brain functional connectivity in adulthood and leads to anxiety-like behaviors.</p>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":" ","pages":"115133"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145318527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M David Diggs, Alison R Bamford, Elizabeth A Thomas, Patrick J O'Connor
{"title":"High Intensity Resistance Exercise (HIRE) Improves Mood and Lowers Systemic Inflammation in Females without Increasing Blood-Brain Interface Biomarker S100β.","authors":"M David Diggs, Alison R Bamford, Elizabeth A Thomas, Patrick J O'Connor","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115134","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115134","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This research (i) investigated mood, cognitive control, a blood-brain interface biomarker (S100β), and an inflammation biomarker (C-Reactive Protein, CRP) in response to acute high intensity resistance exercise (HIRE) in trained (TR) and untrained (UT) females, and (ii) cross-sectionally compared the TR and UT groups on these outcomes at rest to examine potential training adaptations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a crossover design 37 young adult females (18=TR and 19=UT) were randomized to first complete one whole body HIRE bout or resting control. Saliva samples, mood states (POMS), and a test of cognitive control (STROOP) were assessed before and after each condition.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Cross-sectionally, salivary S100β and inhibitory control did not differ between TR and UT. Vigor was higher for TR versus UT and the effect prior to resting control was large (d=0.81) and significant (p=.019). Salivary CRP was moderately lower for TR than UT before (d=.65, p=.056) and 24-hours after (d=.65, p=.03) resting control. TR and UT had psychological and physiological responses to HIRE that did not differ. For the combined groups, resistance exercise increased feelings of vigor immediately and 30-minutes post-exercise (η<sup>2</sup> = 0.172, p=0.001) and did not significantly change inhibitory control, CRP or S100β.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Cross-sectionally, TR females have higher vigor and lower salivary CRP than UT and the groups do not differ on inhibitory control or salivary S100β. For both resistance TR and UT young adult females, an acute bout of HIRE transiently increases feelings of vigor and does not change inhibitory control or salivary CRP and S100β. Current results question the conclusion, based on prior confounded research designs, that acute exercise increases S100β.</p>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":" ","pages":"115134"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145329742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"β-adrenergic regulation of circadian locomotor activity and anesthetic emergence in mice.","authors":"Ciano Albanese Naomi, Martinelli Andrea, Frassanito Paolo, Marano Giuseppe, Ricceri Laura, Maccari Sonia","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115136","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>β2-adrenergic receptors (β2-ARs) are target of catecholamines such as noradrenaline and belong to the family of G protein-coupled receptors. They are distributed in many organs, including the central nervous system. Genetic and pharmacological tools targeting β2-ARs indicate that they mediate a variety of physiological responses. However, their role in the central nervous system remains elusive. Here, we employed β2-adrenergic receptor-deficient (β2-AR KO) mice to elucidate β2-AR role in regulating circadian locomotor activity as well as emergence from general anesthesia. We found that loss of β2-ARs significantly delayed emergence from anesthesia in β2-AR KO mice of both sexes, indicating involvement of β2-adrenergic signaling pathway in the transition from unconsciousness to complete wakefulness. Behaviorally, general locomotor activity in the dark phase and light-to-dark transitions was significantly lower in β2-AR KO mice than in wild type mice of both sexes, whereas dark to light transitions were decreased in β2-AR KO males only. Given that β-ARs play an important role in regulating cardiovascular function and that changes in cardiac performance may induce changes in locomotor activity, heart rate and systolic function were evaluated by echocardiography. These parameters did not differ significantly between KO and wild type mice, suggesting that altered locomotor behaviors in KO mice are not mediated by changes in cardiac performance. Together, these data reveal the functional importance of β2-adrenergic signaling for anesthetic emergence and circadian locomotor activity suggesting that these processes can be affected by drugs which cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to β2-ARs such as lipophilic, non-selective β-blockers.</p>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":" ","pages":"115136"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145329740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chase M. Larsson , William D. Mercer , Shivangi M. Inamdar , Nathaniel E. Connolly , Benjamin L. Fisher , Kyle H. Flippo
{"title":"Increased sucrose pellet consumption in mice with access to a protein-restricted diet, relative to mice with access to a non-restricted control diet, after prolonged (7 weeks) protein restriction","authors":"Chase M. Larsson , William D. Mercer , Shivangi M. Inamdar , Nathaniel E. Connolly , Benjamin L. Fisher , Kyle H. Flippo","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115132","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115132","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nutritional state influences behavior adaptively to maintain energy homeostasis. For example, during fasting elevated orexigenic signals drive hunger and food seeking, whereas once feeding begins, satiety hormones and anorexigenic circuits suppress “excessive” intake. While adaptive mechanisms responsive to total energy balance are relatively well studied, less is known about how animals maintain macronutrient homeostasis. Mice on low-protein diets (typically ≤10 % kcal protein) often increase their overall consumption to obtain required levels of essential amino acids (except in the case of very low protein diets (<2.5 % kcal protein) where a counterintuitive decrease in food consumption related to impaired mTOR signaling in the hypothalamus has been observed) to obtain required levels of essential amino acids, a phenomenon termed the “protein leverage effect”. Metabolic adaptations accompany this hyperphagia namely, enhanced energy expenditure, increased insulin sensitivity, and resistance to weight gain. If given multiple diet options under acute protein restriction, animals show a selective preference for protein-rich foods, and a suppression of preference for carbohydrate-rich foods. This shift in macronutrient preference presumably helps restore protein homeostasis. However, such studies have primarily focused on relatively short phases of dietary protein restriction and therefore may miss behavioral adaptations that only emerge after prolonged protein deficiency. We therefore investigated macronutrient consumption in adult C57BL/6 mice after prolonged dietary protein restriction. Contrary to findings observed under shorter periods of protein restriction, mice subjected to prolonged dietary protein restriction exhibited a generalized increase in consummatory drive, even for carbohydrate rich foods like sucrose. Our results emphasize the need to consider diet duration when assessing the behavioral and metabolic impacts of protein restriction. As restriction persists, mice exhibit more indiscriminate consummatory behavior, possibly reflecting underlying adaptive reconfigurations in metabolic or neural pathways to protect against excessive weight loss.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":"303 ","pages":"Article 115132"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145318528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lucía Rodríguez-Fernández, Candela Zorzo, Alba Gutiérrez-Menéndez, Julia C Lobo, Daniela F Del Valle, Emily Gabriela Castillo-Escalona, Juan A Martínez, Jorge L Arias
{"title":"Photobiomodulation enhances cognitive function in aging rats and modulates cytochrome c oxidase activity and c-Fos expression in memory-related circuits.","authors":"Lucía Rodríguez-Fernández, Candela Zorzo, Alba Gutiérrez-Menéndez, Julia C Lobo, Daniela F Del Valle, Emily Gabriela Castillo-Escalona, Juan A Martínez, Jorge L Arias","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115135","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115135","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aging is marked by a progressive decline in cognitive and behavioral functions, underscoring the need for innovative therapeutic strategies. Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy has emerged as a non-invasive technique that enhances mitochondrial function and supports neural plasticity. In this study, 9-month-old Wistar rats received automatic transcranial PBM over the prefrontal cortex for 11 consecutive days (12 min/day, 810 nm). Behavioral assessments included anxiety-like behavior, motor activity, spatial memory, and cognitive flexibility. Neurobiological analyses focused on cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activity and c-Fos expression across the limbic system. The PBM group demonstrated improvements in spatial memory with significant enhancements in cognitive flexibility. No significant differences were observed in anxiety-like behavior or locomotor activity. At the neurobiological level, PBM induced a reduction in CCO activity across several regions of the limbic-cortical network, including the prefrontal cortex, septum, CA1 and CA3 hippocampal subfields, and lateral mammillary nuclei, which are areas implicated in memory and executive functions. Additionally, an increase in c-Fos expression was detected in the dorsal dentate gyrus, a key region for memory encoding and retrieval. These results delineate the behavioral and neurobiological profile of transcranial PBM in middle-aged rats, highlighting its ability to modulate cognitive performance and brain activity in memory-related circuits without affecting anxiety levels or locomotor activity. Further studies are warranted to refine and standardize stimulation parameters, assess the durability of the effects over time, and investigate possible sex-specific responses. Particular attention should be given to validating automated PBM systems, which offer consistent and reproducible delivery.</p>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":" ","pages":"115135"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145329786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tristan Dadillon, Gaëlle Champeil-Potokar, Marjorie Gourru, Nathalie Jérôme, Véronique Mathé, Morgane Dufay, Martin Chapelais, Juliane Calvezm, Nicolas Darcel, Olivier Rampin, Olga Davidenko, Isabelle Denis
{"title":"Adaptation of eating behaviour to reduced dietary protein intake in rats: influence of the amount of protein and amino acid composition in the diet.","authors":"Tristan Dadillon, Gaëlle Champeil-Potokar, Marjorie Gourru, Nathalie Jérôme, Véronique Mathé, Morgane Dufay, Martin Chapelais, Juliane Calvezm, Nicolas Darcel, Olivier Rampin, Olga Davidenko, Isabelle Denis","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115131","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115131","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reducing meat consumption is encouraged to improve diet environmental sustainability. It results in reducing protein intake, and this can have consequences on eating behaviour. To better characterise these consequences, six-week-old male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups receiving diets differing by their protein source and amount. Two groups received a casein (C) diet, containing 20% (C20) or 6% (C6) protein, a casein density known to induce a hyperphagic response in rats. Three groups received a dehydrated bovine protein (DBP) diet, containing 6% (B6), 10% (B10), or 20% (B20) protein. C20 and B20 rats had also free access to 40% protein pellets (casein for C20 and DBP for B20), but choose to maintain their protein intake close to 20%. C20 and B20 rats showed similar growth and food consumption throughout the 12-week experiment. B6 rats showed reduced growth (-26%) and lean body mass despite similar food consumption to B20. C6 and B10 rats increased their food intake (C6 by +20% relative to C20; B10 by +30% relative to B20) and showed similar growth to C20 and B20 rats. Comparison of amino acid intakes suggests that the amplitude of food overconsumption allowed C6 and B10 rats to achieve a threshold intake of specific essential amino acids. C6 and B10 rats had more visceral adiposity than C20 and B20 rats, but similar lean body mass. Our results characterize the hyperphagic response to moderate meat protein reduction, showing that it increases adiposity, then providing some insights into the obesogenic risk potentially associated with reduced meat consumption.</p>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":" ","pages":"115131"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145275561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paulo DRS Nosé , Lila M Oyama , Gustavo Gomes de Araujo , Natalia de Almeida Rodrigues , Filipe Antonio de Barros Sousa , Sergio Tufik , Ronaldo V Thomatieli-Santos
{"title":"Metabolic changes explain how training mitigates the reduction in strength caused by sleep restriction","authors":"Paulo DRS Nosé , Lila M Oyama , Gustavo Gomes de Araujo , Natalia de Almeida Rodrigues , Filipe Antonio de Barros Sousa , Sergio Tufik , Ronaldo V Thomatieli-Santos","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115124","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115124","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sleep is crucial for maintaining physiological and cognitive functions, including athletic performance; yet, nearly half of adults in Western countries experience sleep restriction. While human studies demonstrate that sleep restriction impairs strength and power performance, the underlying metabolic mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize the impact of acute sleep restriction on strength performance and metabolic profiles in trained rats using untargeted metabolomics, a robust approach for identifying global biochemical changes. Twenty young adult Wistar rats were divided into two groups: Trained Control (TC) and Trained Sleep Restriction (TSR). All animals performed an initial Maximal Strength Test (MST) and were then trained for six weeks. On the day after the last training session, the animals were subjected to six hours of sleep restriction. At the end of the sleep restriction, the animals were subjected to the MST again and euthanized for blood collection and GC–MS metabolomics analysis. While both groups showed increased strength after training, the sleep-restricted group (TSR) exhibited reduced strength compared to controls (TC) by week 6 (<em>p</em> < 0.001), despite similar muscle glycogen levels. GC–MS Metabolomic Analysis revealed a pattern in the TSR group, characterized by lower concentrations of alanine, glutamine, serine, glycine, lysine, methionine, threonine, ornithine, tyrosine, norvaline, oleic acid, uric acid, and creatinine, as well as increased concentrations of phenylalanine and valine. In conclusion, acute sleep restriction reduced strength performance in trained rats by shifting metabolism away from efficient oxidative pathways, marked by decreased amino acid support for the Krebs cycle and neuromuscular homeostasis, rather than by changes in glycogen availability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":"303 ","pages":"Article 115124"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145258966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}