Neuronal activity in rat medial prefrontal cortex during sucrose solution intake

• Published in: Neuroreport Vol. 20; no. 14; pp. 1235 - 1239
• Main Authors: PETYKO, Zoltan, TOTH, Attila, SZABO, Imre, GALOSI, Rita, LENARD, Laszló
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc 23-09-2009; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
• Subjects: Action Potentials; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Electrodes, Implanted; Feeding Behavior; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Male; Microelectrodes; Motor Activity - physiology; Neurons - physiology; Prefrontal Cortex - physiology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reward; Sucrose - administration & dosage; Time Factors; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Water - metabolism; Feeding behavior; medial prefrontal cortex; Rat; Sucrose; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Prefrontal cortex; Encephalon; Feeding; higher nervous activity; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; feeding behaviour
• ISSN: 0959-4965; 1473-558X
• DOI: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32832fbf30

The ratʼs prefrontal cortex plays a role in integration of feeding-related information. In this study, we investigated the neuronal activity changes of medial prefrontal cortex during licking of sucrose solution by freely moving rats. We found two different types of excitatory and two different types of inhibitory single neuron responses time locked to the beginning of the licking clusters. Changes in firing rates occurred either within 2 s before the first lick of the licking cluster or during the licking cluster. These observations suggest that neuronal responses in the medial prefrontal cortex may represent anticipation and consummation of liquid food reward.