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"feeding behavior"
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Dengue virus infection modifies mosquito blood-feeding behavior to increase transmission to the host
Mosquito blood-feeding behavior is a key determinant of the epidemiology of dengue viruses (DENV), the most-prevalent mosquitoborne viruses. However, despite its importance, how DENV infection influences mosquito blood-feeding and, consequently, transmission remains unclear. Here, we developed a high-resolution, video-based assay to observe the blood-feeding behavior of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes on mice. We then applied multivariate analysis on the high-throughput, unbiased data generated from the assay to ordinate behavioral parameters into complex behaviors. We showed that DENV infection increases mosquito attraction to the host and hinders its biting efficiency, the latter resulting in the infected mosquitoes biting more to reach similar blood repletion as uninfected mosquitoes. To examine how increased biting influences DENV transmission to the host, we established an in vivo transmission model with immuno-competent mice and demonstrated that successive short probes result in multiple transmissions. Finally, to determine how DENV-induced alterations of host-seeking and biting behaviors influence dengue epidemiology, we integrated the behavioral data within a mathematical model. We calculated that the number of infected hosts per infected mosquito, as determined by the reproduction rate, tripled when mosquito behavior was influenced by DENV infection. Taken together, this multidisciplinary study details how DENV infection modulates mosquito blood-feeding behavior to increase vector capacity, proportionally aggravating DENV epidemiology. By elucidating the contribution of mosquito behavioral alterations on DENV transmission to the host, these results will inform epidemiological modeling to tailor improved interventions against dengue.
Journal Article
Leptin Regulates Striatal Regions and Human Eating Behavior
Studies of the fat-derived hormone leptin have provided key insights into the molecular and neural components of feeding behavior and body weight regulation. An important challenge lies in understanding how the rewarding properties of food interact with, and can override, physiological satiety signals and promote overeating. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure brain responses in two human patients with congenital leptin deficiency who were shown images of food before and after 7 days of leptin replacement therapy. Leptin was found to modulate neural activation in key striatal regions, suggesting that the hormone acts on neural circuits governing food intake to diminish the perception of food reward while enhancing the response to satiety signals generated during food consumption.
Journal Article
PYY modulation of cortical and hypothalamic brain areas predicts feeding behaviour in humans
Functional magnetic resonance imaging is used to examine brain areas whose activity correlates with subsequent feeding behaviour under different satiety states evoked by intravenous peptide YY
3–36
(PYY), administration. Under high PYY conditions, (mimicking the fed state) changes in orbitofrontal cortex activation better predicted subsequent feeding, whereas in low PYY conditions, hypothalamic activation predicted food intake.
The ability to maintain adequate nutrient intake is critical for survival. Complex interrelated neuronal circuits have developed in the mammalian brain to regulate many aspects of feeding behaviour, from food-seeking to meal termination. The hypothalamus and brainstem are thought to be the principal homeostatic brain areas responsible for regulating body weight
1
,
2
. However, in the current ‘obesogenic’ human environment food intake is largely determined by non-homeostatic factors including cognition, emotion and reward, which are primarily processed in corticolimbic and higher cortical brain regions
3
. Although the pleasure of eating is modulated by satiety and food deprivation increases the reward value of food, there is currently no adequate neurobiological account of this interaction between homeostatic and higher centres in the regulation of food intake in humans
1
,
4
,
5
. Here we show, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, that peptide YY
3–36
(PYY), a physiological gut-derived satiety signal, modulates neural activity within both corticolimbic and higher-cortical areas as well as homeostatic brain regions. Under conditions of high plasma PYY concentrations, mimicking the fed state, changes in neural activity within the caudolateral orbital frontal cortex predict feeding behaviour independently of meal-related sensory experiences. In contrast, in conditions of low levels of PYY, hypothalamic activation predicts food intake. Thus, the presence of a postprandial satiety factor switches food intake regulation from a homeostatic to a hedonic, corticolimbic area. Our studies give insights into the neural networks in humans that respond to a specific satiety signal to regulate food intake. An increased understanding of how such homeostatic and higher brain functions are integrated may pave the way for the development of new treatment strategies for obesity.
Journal Article
Edible economics : a hungry economist explains the world
\"Bestselling author and economist Ha-Joon Chang makes challenging economic ideas delicious by plating them alongside stories about food from around the world, using the diverse histories behind familiar food items to explore economic theory. For Chang, chocolate is a lifelong addiction, but more exciting are the insights it offers into postindustrial knowledge economies; and while okra makes Southern gumbo heart-meltingly smooth, it also speaks of capitalism's entangled relationship with freedom. Myth-busting, witty, and thought-provoking, Edible Economics serves up a feast of bold ideas about globalization, climate change, immigration, austerity, automation, and why carrots need not be orange. It shows that getting to grips with the economy is like learning a recipe: when we understand it, we can adapt and improve it--and better understand our world.\"--Front book jacket flap.
Book
Dilute Concentrations of a Psychiatric Drug Alter Behavior of Fish from Natural Populations
Environmental pollution by pharmaceuticals is increasingly recognized as a major threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. A variety of pharmaceuticals enter waterways by way of treated wastewater effluents and remain biochemically active in aquatic systems. Several ecotoxicological studies have been done, but generally, little is known about the ecological effects of pharmaceuticals. Here we show that a benzodiazepine anxiolytic drug (oxazepam) alters behavior and feeding rate of wild European perch (Perca fluviatilis) at concentrations encountered in effluent-influenced surface waters. Individuals exposed to water with dilute drug concentrations (1.8 micrograms liter -1 ) exhibited increased activity, reduced sociality, and higher feeding rate. As such, our results show that anxiolytic drugs in surface waters alter animal behaviors that are known to have ecological and evolutionary consequences.
Journal Article
Factors affecting behaviors during complementary feeding in infants and children aged 6–24 months
The process that begins around the 6th month of life and continues until the 24th month is called the complementary feeding period. During this period, infants and children start receiving foods that complement breast milk or formula for the first time. The psychosocial factors the infants and children encounter during this period may affect their growth and health in later life. This cross-sectional and descriptive study aimed to examine the factors influencing behaviors of infants and children during complementary feeding. The study sample included 345 mothers with infants and children aged 6–24 months. The research data were collected using two forms and one scale. The first form contained questions about the mothers’ sociodemographic characteristics, sources of support in childcare, and information sources related to complementary feeding. The second form contained questions about the sociodemographic characteristics of infants and children, the presence of allergies, breastfeeding, and feeding status. The scale used was the validated Behaviors of Transition to Complementary Feeding Scale. The effect of independent variables on behavior of infants and children during complementary feeding was examined using multiple linear regression analysis. Infants/children older than 12 months exhibited more negative behaviors during complementary feeding compared with those aged 6–12 months. The study also found that being the first infant/child in the family had a negative impact on behaviors during complementary feeding. Infants and children currently receiving only complementary feeding displayed more positive behaviors during the complementary feeding process. Paternal support in childcare positively influenced behaviors during this period. In conclusion, complementary feeding is a multifaceted process influenced by various factors, including the infant’s and child’s age, family dynamics, and parental support. Strategies to support mothers, involve fathers, and provide reliable information can facilitate a smoother process of complementary feeding and promote healthier feeding behaviors in infants and children. Descriptive, interventional, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies are required to analyze these factors in detail and improve the complementary feeding process.
Journal Article
Rapid, reversible activation of AgRP neurons drives feeding behavior in mice
Several different neuronal populations are involved in regulating energy homeostasis. Among these, agouti-related protein (AgRP) neurons are thought to promote feeding and weight gain; however, the evidence supporting this view is incomplete. Using designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADD) technology to provide specific and reversible regulation of neuronal activity in mice, we have demonstrated that acute activation of AgRP neurons rapidly and dramatically induces feeding, reduces energy expenditure, and ultimately increases fat stores. All these effects returned to baseline after stimulation was withdrawn. In contrast, inhibiting AgRP neuronal activity in hungry mice reduced food intake. Together, these findings demonstrate that AgRP neuron activity is both necessary and sufficient for feeding. Of interest, activating AgRP neurons potently increased motivation for feeding and also drove intense food-seeking behavior, demonstrating that AgRP neurons engage brain sites controlling multiple levels of feeding behavior. Due to its ease of use and suitability for both acute and chronic regulation, DREADD technology is ideally suited for investigating the neural circuits hypothesized to regulate energy balance.
Journal Article