Female mice are more prone to develop an addictive-like phenotype for sugar consumption

Abstract The concept of “sugar addiction” is gaining increasing attention in both the lay media and scientific literature. However, the concept of sugar addiction is controversial and only a few studies to date have attempted to determine the “addictive” properties of sugar using rigorous scientific...

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Main Authors: Shoupeng Wei, Sarah Hertle, Rainer Spanagel, Ainhoa Bilbao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2021-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86797-9
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spelling doaj-75ad8a33d57843b59f0944d155ddaf972021-04-04T11:32:39ZengNature Publishing GroupScientific Reports2045-23222021-04-0111111410.1038/s41598-021-86797-9Female mice are more prone to develop an addictive-like phenotype for sugar consumptionShoupeng Wei0Sarah Hertle1Rainer Spanagel2Ainhoa Bilbao3Behavioral Genetics Research Group, Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg UniversityBehavioral Genetics Research Group, Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg UniversityInstitute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg UniversityBehavioral Genetics Research Group, Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg UniversityAbstract The concept of “sugar addiction” is gaining increasing attention in both the lay media and scientific literature. However, the concept of sugar addiction is controversial and only a few studies to date have attempted to determine the “addictive” properties of sugar using rigorous scientific criteria. Here we set out to systematically test the addictive properties of sugar in male and female mice using established paradigms and models from the drug addiction field. Male and female C57BL/6N (8–10 weeks old) were evaluated in 4 experimental procedures to study the addictive properties of sugar: (i) a drinking in the dark (DID) procedure to model sugar binging; (ii) a long-term free choice home cage drinking procedure measuring the sugar deprivation effect (SDE) following an abstinence phase; (iii) a long-term operant sugar self-administration with persistence, motivation and compulsivity measures and (iv) intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). Female mice were more vulnerable to the addictive properties of sugar than male mice, showing higher binge and long-term, excessive drinking, a more pronounced relapse-like drinking following deprivation, and higher persistence and motivation for sugar. No sex differences were seen in a compulsivity test or reward sensitivity measured using ICSS following extended sugar consumption. This study demonstrates the occurrence of an addictive-like phenotype for sugar in male and female mice, similar to drugs of abuse, and suggests sex-dependent differences in the development of sugar addiction.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86797-9
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Shoupeng Wei
Sarah Hertle
Rainer Spanagel
Ainhoa Bilbao
spellingShingle Shoupeng Wei
Sarah Hertle
Rainer Spanagel
Ainhoa Bilbao
Female mice are more prone to develop an addictive-like phenotype for sugar consumption
Scientific Reports
author_facet Shoupeng Wei
Sarah Hertle
Rainer Spanagel
Ainhoa Bilbao
author_sort Shoupeng Wei
title Female mice are more prone to develop an addictive-like phenotype for sugar consumption
title_short Female mice are more prone to develop an addictive-like phenotype for sugar consumption
title_full Female mice are more prone to develop an addictive-like phenotype for sugar consumption
title_fullStr Female mice are more prone to develop an addictive-like phenotype for sugar consumption
title_full_unstemmed Female mice are more prone to develop an addictive-like phenotype for sugar consumption
title_sort female mice are more prone to develop an addictive-like phenotype for sugar consumption
publisher Nature Publishing Group
series Scientific Reports
issn 2045-2322
publishDate 2021-04-01
description Abstract The concept of “sugar addiction” is gaining increasing attention in both the lay media and scientific literature. However, the concept of sugar addiction is controversial and only a few studies to date have attempted to determine the “addictive” properties of sugar using rigorous scientific criteria. Here we set out to systematically test the addictive properties of sugar in male and female mice using established paradigms and models from the drug addiction field. Male and female C57BL/6N (8–10 weeks old) were evaluated in 4 experimental procedures to study the addictive properties of sugar: (i) a drinking in the dark (DID) procedure to model sugar binging; (ii) a long-term free choice home cage drinking procedure measuring the sugar deprivation effect (SDE) following an abstinence phase; (iii) a long-term operant sugar self-administration with persistence, motivation and compulsivity measures and (iv) intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). Female mice were more vulnerable to the addictive properties of sugar than male mice, showing higher binge and long-term, excessive drinking, a more pronounced relapse-like drinking following deprivation, and higher persistence and motivation for sugar. No sex differences were seen in a compulsivity test or reward sensitivity measured using ICSS following extended sugar consumption. This study demonstrates the occurrence of an addictive-like phenotype for sugar in male and female mice, similar to drugs of abuse, and suggests sex-dependent differences in the development of sugar addiction.
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86797-9
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