Feeding-induced olfactory cortex suppression reduces satiation

Abstract

Binge feeding commonly leads to overeating. Experiencing flavor during food consumption contributes to satiation. Still, the interactions between flavor, binge feeding, and food intake remain unknown. Using miniscopes for in vivo calcium imaging in the anterior piriform cortex (aPC) in freely moving mice, we identified specific excitatory neuronal responses to different food flavors during slow feeding. Switching from slow feeding to binge feeding transformed these specific responses into an unspecific global suppression of neuronal activity. Consummatory aPC suppression scaled with food value. GABAergic neurons in the olfactory tubercle (OT) projected to the aPC and mirrored activity patterns in the aPC under different feeding conditions, consistent with transmitting a value signal. Closed-loop optogenetic manipulations demonstrated that suppressing the aPC during binge bouts reduces satiation by selectively prolonging feeding bouts. We propose that aPC suppression by the OT enhances food intake by reducing sensory satiation during binge feeding-associated states of high motivation.

Keywords: Ca(2+) imaging; binge eating; consumption; flavor; functional connectivity; olfactory tubercle; optogenetics; piriform cortex; sensory satiation; smell.