The effect of hypothalamic peptide YY on hippocampal acetylcholine release in vivo: Implications for limbic activation in binge eating behavior
Abstract
Central injection of peptide YY (PYY) in sated rats produces the most powerful stimulating effect on food intake known to date and has been implicated in the neurobiology of bulimia nervosa. The neural mechanisms by which PYY regulates appetite are not clear. Interactions between acetylcholine (ACh) and PYY have not been studied. Therefore the present experiments were designed to explore the in vivo release of ACh from the hippocampus (HPC) of rats in response to hypothalamic infusion of PYY. Hippocampal ACh release was found to increase 400% in response to PYY. Blockade of this release with scopolamine did not affect PYY's ability to stimulate eating. ACh is a major neurotransmitter in the limbic system that functions in memory and reinforcement, functions involved in eating behavior but perhaps more salient in hyperphagia. Furthermore, it was shown for the first time that PYY can elicit hyperphagia when infused directly into the HPC. The significance of these findings to the activation of memory, reinforcement, and obsessional processes that may accompany human binge-eating syndromes is discussed.
Subject Area
Psychobiology|Neurology|Anatomy & physiology|Animals
Recommended Citation
Hagan, Mary Michelle, "The effect of hypothalamic peptide YY on hippocampal acetylcholine release in vivo: Implications for limbic activation in binge eating behavior" (1998). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI9832817.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI9832817