Physiology & Behavior最新文献

{"title":"Does habitual caffeine consumption moderate the association between a high fat and sugar diet and self-reported and episodic memory impairment in humans?","authors":"Tatum Sevenoaks,&nbsp;Martin Yeomans","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115078","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115078","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With an increasing number of studies reporting the association between a high fat and sugar (HFS) diet and impaired memory, a need to investigate strategies to mitigate this effect is crucial. Caffeine’s impact on cognition has been widely studied, with recent reviews discussing possible neuroprotective properties. Additionally, animal studies have shown caffeine may protect against HFS diet-induced memory impairment. However, human research remains limited. This study investigated whether caffeine consumption moderates the association between a HFS diet with both self-reported (measured in Experiment 1 and 2) and episodic (measured in Experiment 2) memory impairment. Experiment 1 recruited 1000 (263 males, 726 females, 11 declined to say) healthy volunteers aged 18 – 45, who completed the Dietary Fat and free Sugar (DFS) questionnaire and Everyday Memory Questionnaire (EMQ) (a self-report memory measure) along with self-reporting daily caffeine consumption (mg). In Experiment 1, the moderation effect of caffeine on DFS and EMQ approached significance when controlling for age and sex <em>(β = -0.090, p = 0.056)</em>. However, caffeine did moderate the relationship between the DFS fat subscale with EMQ even when controlling for age and sex <em>(β = -0.099, p = 0.026)</em>. Experiment 2 recruited 699 (98 males, 594 females, 7 declined to say) healthy volunteers aged 18-45, who again completed the DFS, EMQ and self-reported caffeine consumption, as well as a Verbal Paired Associates (VPA) task (an episodic memory measure). Caffeine consumption did not significantly moderate the relationship between the DFS including its subscales with either memory measure. These findings suggest that caffeine consumption is unlikely to protect against the impact of a HFS diet on memory impairment. However, future research is required to validate this finding and to better understand the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning this relationship.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 115078"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144965967","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":"Predicting sugar-sweetened beverage intake from the brain and known risk factors in adolescents","authors":"Muzayyana Akhmadjonova ,&nbsp;Grace E. Shearrer","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115079","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115079","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Low socio-economic status, male sex, and body mass index (BMI) are known risk factors for high sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in adolescents. The present analysis aimed to predict SSB intake based on known risk factors and resting-state functional magnetic resonance (rsfMRI) connectivity from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Using the year-2 follow up visit Block Kids Food Screener data, participants were categorized as low SSB consumers (&lt;8 floz/day) or high SSB consumers (&gt;16 floz/day). The high and low groups were matched on baseline age, BMI percentile (BMI%) and combined household income (CHI; n/SSBgroup = 841). We used a grid search linear support vector classifier (SVC) to select baseline features from BMI%, sex, age, CHI, and resting state functional connectivity associated with SSB intake. With the selected features we used a binary logistic model to predict high SSB consumption at year-2.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The SVC identified sex and 58 functional connections as relevant features and predicted SSB intake at year-2 with 57 % accuracy. Logistic regression revealed visual-right caudate connectivity (predicted probability [PP]: 0.71, pFDR = 0.02) and sex (PP_male: 0.56, PP_female: 0.72; pFDR &lt; 0.0001) as significant predictors. Post hoc analysis revealed head motion quality control outcomes were independently associated with low CHI (OR = 1.102, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.0001), higher BMI% (OR = 0.93, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.0001), and high SSB intake (OR = 0.842, <em>p</em> = 0.008).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The average correlation between visual cortex and right caudate is significantly related to high SSB consumption in adolescents. Participants from low CHI families are at higher risk of exclusion due to excessive motion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 115079"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144919894","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":"Behavioural response and physiological adaptation of captive sub-adult giant pandas in response to a short-term social environment","authors":"Qin Fu ,&nbsp;Bo Yuan ,&nbsp;Xue-ying Wang ,&nbsp;Shan Luo ,&nbsp;Xiao-hui Zhang ,&nbsp;Ming-yue Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115077","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115077","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During ex-situ conservation, giant pandas inevitably transition from their natural wild habitats to captive environments. The living conditions of captive giant pandas differ significantly from those in the wild. For instance, during the sub-adult stage, solitary giant pandas are human-reared in groups. What impact does the captive social environment have on solitary giant pandas? Does it lead to changes in behavioral expression patterns? Is this pattern associated with physiological responses for environmental adaptation? To address these questions, we allocated six giant pandas into a group-housed group and a solitary-housed group, with each group consisting of three pandas. By observing their behaviors and performing analyses of urinary and fecal metabolomics, as well as metagenomics, we intended to explore the welfare status of the two groups under different management approaches. The results showed that group-housed sub-adult giant pandas exhibited significantly more playing behavior compared to those in solitary conditions. Further analysis revealed that the majority of the playing behavior involved playful interactions with companions. Additionally, we did not observe stereotyped behaviors in group-housed giant pandas. Through an exploration of the omics data, it was found that urinary metabolites associated with positive emotions, such as dopamine, along with related metabolic pathways like the dopamine synthesis system, were significantly upregulated and activated in group-housed giant pandas. Meanwhile, fecal metabolites associated with neurotransmitter synthesis and mood regulations, as well as the abundance of beneficial intestinal flora, were significantly higher in the feces of the group-housed pandas than those of the solitary-housed group. These findings indicated that short-term group housing does have an impact on the behavioral expression patterns of captive sub-adult giant pandas. Moreover, compared with those housed individually, short-term sub-adult giant pandas kept in groups seem to experience less stress. This reveals the behavioral response and physiological adaption of captive sub-adult giant pandas to group living environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 115077"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144924955","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":"Minimal sensitization to repeated capsaicin exposure during consumption of a real food","authors":"Paige M. Cunningham ,&nbsp;John E. Hayes","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115066","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115066","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prior work in model systems indicates the oral burn evoked by capsaicin, a TRPV1 agonist found in chili peppers, shows substantial sensitization over 10 acute exposures at short intervals. However, this monotonic increase does not match lived experience during eating, so we investigated capsaicin sensitization using a real food. Following orientation to a general Labelled Magnitude Scale (gLMS) and a generalized bipolar Hedonic Scale (gHS), 75 adults received a series of 10 identical chicken tikka masala samples sequentially. Samples were served every 30 s and participants were instructed to completely consume each 15 g sample before rating oral burn and liking. Random coefficient models revealed a curvilinear relationship between repeated exposure and burn. Specifically, with each additional sample consumed, burn increased (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001), but this trajectory had a negative quadratic coefficient (<em>p</em> = 0.002), indicating burn plateaued with additional exposure. Hedonic trajectories differed from burn intensity, dropping across exposures (<em>p</em> = 0.01). This may reflect a direct effect wherein liking drops as burn increases outside an optimum range, but we cannot rule out the well-known phenomenon of sensory-specific satiety. Here, we partially contradict prior findings from model systems that suggest capsaicin sensitization continues to build monotonically, instead showing that oral burn from a real food has a quadratic trajectory characterized by initial sensitization within the first few trials, followed by a plateau. This discrepancy may relate to locus or size of stimulus field (small loci on the tongue via cotton swab versus whole mouth during naturalistic eating) or tongue movement (static versus dynamic).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 115066"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144913294","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":"High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and lactate protect against sleep deprivation-induced memory impairment: Role of the PKA-CREB-BDNF-Cofilin signaling pathway","authors":"Ataollah Movahed ,&nbsp;Soheil Aminizadeh ,&nbsp;Hamid Marefati ,&nbsp;Beydolah Shahouzehi ,&nbsp;Hamid Najafipour ,&nbsp;Saeed Sheikhshoaei ,&nbsp;Keyvan Hejazi","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115076","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115076","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The present study aims to investigate the protective effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or lactate administration on signaling pathway (Protein kinase A (PKA)/ Cyclic AMP response element-binding (CREB)/ Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/ P-cofilin) associated with memory impairment in hippocampal tissue due to sleep deprivation (SD).</div></div><div><h3>Material and methods</h3><div>42 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups: 1. Control, 2. SD, 3. SD + HIIT, 4. HIIT, 5. Lactate, 6. SD + Lactate. Training groups participated in 6 weeks of HIIT on a treadmill and lactate groups received a daily dose of lactate intraperitoneally for 6 weeks (Target concentration of lactate was 7 ± 0.7 mmol/L). After 6 weeks of treatment, SD groups were placed in a water-based sleep deprivation device for 48 h. Spatial memory was assessed by Morris water maze (MWM). Proteins (PKA/BDNF/P-cofilin) and gene (<em>CREB</em>) expression were measured by Western blot analysis and Real-Time PCR (2^-ΔΔCT), respectively.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>After 6 weeks, there was a significant increase in number of enter in target zone (<em>P</em> = 0.001), time in target zone (<em>P</em> = 0.002) and path length (<em>P</em> = 0.03) between HIIT and control group. SD significantly decreased BDNF (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.0001), PKA (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.0001) and p-cofilin (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.0001) protein expression in hippocampus tissue, compared with control group.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>HIIT and lactate can improve the spatial memory in SD condition. It seems that many adaptations resulting from HIIT are associated with increased lactate levels as a crucial signaling molecule in the hippocampus.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 115076"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144913293","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":"Hydration, mood, and cognition in primary school aged children in the United Kingdom","authors":"C.A. Roberts ,&nbsp;K. Boak ,&nbsp;N. McCullogh ,&nbsp;I. Brownlee ,&nbsp;C. Haskell-Ramsay ,&nbsp;L.J. James ,&nbsp;B.P. Green ,&nbsp;G.D. Tempest ,&nbsp;C. Bruce-Martin ,&nbsp;P.L.S. Rumbold","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115073","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115073","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Effective cognition is fundamental to academic attainment and has been linked to multiple dietary behaviours, including adequate hydration. This study aimed to evaluate whether the hydration status of primary school children (9–10y) across the school day was associated with cognition and mood. Food and fluid intake were tracked using photographic dietary records. Urine/serum osmolality (Uosm/Sosm), urine specific gravity (USG) and self-reported urine colour (Ucol) were assessed at first void (Uosm only) or the start (09:00) and end (16:00–16:30) of the school day. Children’s self-reported mood and appetite were obtained via Visual Analogue Scales (VAS at 09:00, 10:30, 13:30 and 16:00). Children completed cognitive assessments using the Computerised Mental Performance Assessment System (15:30-16:00). T-tests indicated that (a) children consumed most fluid at mealtimes <em>(P &lt;</em> 0.001), and (b) Sosm, USG and Ucol increased <em>(P &lt;</em> 0.01) throughout the school day, indicating a shift towards dehydration. Additionally, from the start to the end of the day, feelings of boredom, hunger, tiredness, and thirst increased, whereas focus and happiness decreased (<em>P &lt;</em> 0.05). Hydration measures were significantly associated with long-term (<em>P =</em> 0.042) and working memory <em>(P =</em> 0.033). Despite access to ad-libitum water, this study indicates primary age school children do not maintain hydration status during the school day. This suggests interventions to improve hydration status in the primary school setting should focus on increasing water intake and/or retention of ingested water throughout the day.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 115073"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144966031","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":"Sign- vs. goal-tracking is associated with greater adiposity and altered functional connectivity in response to a naturalistic food paradigm","authors":"Afroditi Papantoni ,&nbsp;Grace E. Shearrer ,&nbsp;Lindsey Smith Taillie ,&nbsp;Saame Raza Shaikh ,&nbsp;Katie A. Meyer ,&nbsp;Elianna Paninos ,&nbsp;Alexxai V. Kravitz ,&nbsp;Kyle S. Burger","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115075","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115075","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Our modern food environment is full of highly palatable, ultra-processed foods that influence our eating behaviors. The reinforcement learning framework posits that some individuals readily assign motivational value to environmental cues (e.g., food ads) that predict reward, biasing their attention and making them more susceptible to seek that reward. These individuals are characterized as sign-trackers and differ from goal-trackers who do not tend to assign any motivational value to those reward-predicting environmental cues. Here, we tested whether this well-characterized phenotype in animals that is commonly associated with increased impulsivity and substance use disorders, could be translated to humans and adapted to study differences in adiposity and eating behaviors. A total of 47 adults completed a food-adapted Pavlovian conditioning task with cues predicting the delivery of candy with simultaneous eye-tracking to determine the sign-tracking vs. goal-tracking phenotype. Participants also completed a naturalistic fMRI scan where they passively viewed videos of sweet and savory dishes to examine functional connectivity associated with those phenotypes. We found that sign-tracking behavior was associated with a greater waist-to-hip ratio but not BMI. During the viewing of the sweet video only, we identified a brain network comprising high-degree nodes in the fusiform gyrus, occipital lobe, prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex that predicted higher sign-tracking behavior. These findings suggest that the sign- and goal-tracking phenotype model translates to humans using a food-based eye-tracking methodology. Further, supported by animal research, sign-tracking is associated with greater central adiposity and greater functional connectivity between visual, sensorimotor, and subcortical networks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 115075"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144895925","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":"In the heart of time: investigating the link between cardiac activity and interoception in explicit and implicit timing","authors":"Fiorella Del Popolo Cristaldi ,&nbsp;Luigi Micillo ,&nbsp;Nicola Cellini ,&nbsp;Giovanna Mioni","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115072","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115072","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent research suggests that our sense of time is influenced by interoceptive abilities. Efficient access to bodily signals, measured objectively (interoceptive accuracy) and subjectively (interoceptive sensibility), may contribute to more accurate time perception. However, the link between cardiac activity, interoceptive abilities, and time perception is still unclear, particularly in distinguishing implicit and explicit timing.</div><div>We explored this relationship in two studies. Interoceptive accuracy was assessed using a heartbeat counting task (HCT). Interoceptive sensibility was measured using the Body Perception Questionnaire and subjective confidence ratings (0–9 scale) provided during the HCT. Resting heart rate variability (HRV) served as an index of cardiac vagal control. In Study 1, participants (<em>N</em> = 31, <em>M</em> = 23.1 years, SD = 3.23) completed an implicit timing task (foreperiod) and an explicit timing task (time bisection). In Study 2, participants (<em>N</em> = 51, <em>M</em> = 22.6 years, SD = 1.52) performed an explicit timing task (self-paced finger-tapping).</div><div>Results showed that better interoceptive accuracy was associated with faster response speed in the foreperiod task, suggesting improved motor readiness. In contrast, greater subjective confidence in heartbeat detection corresponded to poorer performance in the time bisection task (Study 1), indicating over-reliance on inaccurate interoceptive signals. Higher vagal tone (indexed by heightened HRV high frequency power) was associated with a faster tapping rhythm (Study 2).</div><div>These findings highlight the distinct roles of cardiac interoception and activity in explicit and implicit timing, emphasizing their nuanced contributions to time perception.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 115072"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144890021","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":"Control by food deprivation cues interferes with the ability to learn drug state cues in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats","authors":"Garrett G. Denney ,&nbsp;Sophie M. Robinson ,&nbsp;Honeyeh Younesie ,&nbsp;Shadan Rahmani ,&nbsp;Shihui Huang ,&nbsp;Terry L. Davidson ,&nbsp;Anthony L. Riley","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115071","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115071","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although interoceptive stimuli arising from food deprivation or drug states have been recognized as important internal regulators of behavior, e.g., eating and drug use, respectively, little is known if a history with one set of cues, e.g., food deprivation, would impact learning with another, e.g., drug states. The present study investigated whether interoceptive learning involving food deprivation influences the acquisition of an interoceptive drug-state discrimination. In Experiment 1, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate deprivation states (24+/0- or 0+/24-) signaling food reward. A subset of animals under the 24+/0- condition learned the discrimination, whereas a subset of animals under the 0+/24- condition did not. In Experiment 2, animals from these two subsets were trained on a discrimination in which morphine signaled a pairing of a saccharin solution with the emetic LiCl, and the morphine vehicle signaled saccharin alone. All animals learned this discrimination (avoiding saccharin when it was preceded by morphine and consuming it when it was preceded by the drug vehicle). Animals that failed to learn the initial food deprivation discrimination (Group 0+/24-) learned the morphine discrimination faster and to a greater level than animals that learned the earlier food deprivation discrimination (Group 24+/0-). These results suggest that learning about specific state cues may interfere with subsequent state learning by shifts in attention to specific state cues, the specific associations with these cues, and/or the similarity between the specific state cues assessed. This interference highlights the complexity of interoceptive cues and their implications for understanding dysregulated intake.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 115071"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144907908","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":"Adolescent and adult age differences in palatable food learning and consumption","authors":"Rebecca Shteyn,&nbsp;Gorica D. Petrovich","doi":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115074","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115074","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Adolescents are sensitive to food rewards and are at a risk of developing binge and other eating disorders. Adolescence is also a period of rapid learning. It is known that food memories can motivate appetite and food seeking without hunger, and food cues can induce relapse of extinguished behaviors. Yet, little is known about how adolescents learn about palatable food cues under hunger and satiety, and if males and females differ. The current study investigated Pavlovian conditioning, extinction, and context-induced renewal of cue-food associations, as well as palatable food consumption, in hungry and sated adolescent and adult male and female rats. Adolescents were less responsive to satiety during cue-food learning and had greater persistence of cue-specific memory. Sated adolescents acquired conditioned responses (foodcup approach and latency) faster than sated adults. Adolescents also had slower extinction and more robust renewal of conditioned responses to the food cue after extinction. In both adults and adolescents, hunger enhanced acquisition and amplified overall responding during extinction but did not impact renewal. Sated rats had similarly robust renewal of conditioned responses following extinction as hungry. During consumption tests, there were distinct age and hunger state differences. Adults consumed more of the palatable food compared to neutral-tasting chow regardless of satiety state. Sated adolescents also preferred palatable food and consumed more than sated adults. In contrast, hungry adolescents showed a balanced intake of both foods, suggesting they may prioritize physiological needs over hedonic rewards. Females consumed more palatable food than males, regardless of age or hunger state. These findings highlight developmental differences in reward learning and memory, with implications for understanding vulnerabilities to disordered eating during adolescence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20201,"journal":{"name":"Physiology & Behavior","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 115074"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144908600","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}