ReviewBehavioral Satiety Sequence (BSS) for the Diagnosis of Drug Action on Food Intake
Section snippets
Description of the Behavioral Satiety Sequence (BSS)
The most detailed behavioral account of drug action on appetite can be gained by using the Behavioral Satiety Sequence (2) (BSS). Bindra and Blond (5) and Bolles (14) first observed that grooming occurred after eating and before resting. The BSS is a clearly identifiable stochastic progression of behavioral trends over time (not a strict deterministic sequence). The progression of the BSS is from an initial phase of eating, through peaks of active and grooming behavior, to an eventual phase of
Methodological Aspects of the BSS
The equipment needed to study the BSS is standard to most behavioral pharmacology laboratories. The researcher’s basic needs are an observation arena, video cameras, video recorder, monitor, and a PC with a behavioral coding package. The procedural details of the Leeds studies can be found in Halford and Blundell 30, 36 and Halford et al,. (38). We have also published a detailed account of our BSS methodology in Current Protocols in Neuroscience (36). For this review we will concentrate on
Food intake
Food intake can either be measured by weighing the difference in the food bowl before and after the observation or it can be measured automatically during the observation. Various forms of automated feeding devices are available.
Eating parameters
Eating parameters describe the relationship between changes in the amount of food eaten and changes in the various structural elements of eating behavior. Continuous observation is required to identify those parameters. Mean local eating rates (LER) (g/min), mean intake
Interpreting the BSS
The BSS, compiled from a true experiment showing the orderly changes in eating, grooming, and resting is shown in Fig. 2.
Drugs and the BSS
Table 3 shows the pharmacological action and the action on the BSS of the drugs mentioned in this section. The BSS profiles of some of the drugs mentioned in this section are shown in FIG. 4., FIG. 5..
Blundell and McArthur (12) were the first to use the BSS to compare the behavioral effects of the catecholaminergic agent, amphetamine with the serotonergic agent, fenfluramine. In simple food-intake tests, both drugs produced equal and highly potent reductions in food intake, but their temporal
5-HT Receptor Subtypes and the BSS
Although it is established that pharmacological manipulation of 5-HT reduces food intake while preserving the BSS, which 5-HT receptors mediate these effects? The 5-HT receptors implicated in satiety are 5-HT1b and 5-HT2c [see (21) for review], although a relative lack of highly selective 5-HT agonists and antagonists makes the investigation of the precise role of 5-HT1b and 5-HT2c sites difficult. For example, agonists of the 5-HT2c receptor generally have affinity for other 5-HT2 receptors
Other Compounds That Preserve the BSS
The BSS is not only produced by increasing CNS 5-HT levels or directly activating hypothalamic 5-HT1b and 5-HT2c receptors. Activation of peripheral 5-HT receptors, possibly in the gut, suppressed food intake and preserved the BSS (24). This may be related to the role of peripheral 5-HT in gastric motility and stomach emptying. Other peripheral satiety factors such as CCK (see previous) bombesin and enterostatin have also been shown to preserve the BSS. The behavioral effects of the ob-gene
Future Directions
To continue this work, newer, more selective neurochemicals that act on target appetite systems and on-going research to further characterize feeding behavior are both required. There are many aspects of behavior that could be utilized by researchers to more accurately characterize satiety, nausea, sedation, hyperactivity, and changes in palatability. Such measure could include direct measurement of food bowl weight over the full observation period to reveal changes in eating rates (g/min)
Summary
The BSS, first identified in its modern form by Smith’s group at Cornell, is widely recognized as a behavioral representation of the physiological processes of satiety set in operation by food ingestion. The BSS has been used to confirm the role of the gut peptide CCK in satiety. The BSS has been used to identify drugs that enhance satiety. The investigation of macro- and microstructural analysis of feeding behavior permits identification of differing mechanisms of drugs action not apparent in
Acknowledgements
This article was submitted following the “Neuropsychopharmacology of Motivation” symposium given in honor of L. J. Herberg.
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