Activity level as a function of hunger.

Abstract

The adaptive significance of a positive relationship between hunger and gross bodily activity has long been recognized. It is the restless animal that is most likely to encounter food.As early as 1922, Richter (6) demonstrated an increase in the daily activity of the rat when deprived of food for a prolonged interval. Employing four animals in tambour supported cages, he found that activity increased steadily through the second to third day of privation and declined steadily thereafter. At about the same time, Wada (11) reported a temporal coincidence between stomach contractions and "stirs" in the sleep of both infant and adult human subjects. Similarly, Powelson (5), in observations of a stomach transplant in the rat, recorded a correspondence between general muscular activity and gastric contraction. Morgan (4) views this as the reflection of a common underlying condition affecting the nervous system. Both Shirley (7) and Skinner ( 9) have reported that activity builds up to a maximum that occurs in the interval immediately preceding controlled daily feeding. This finding is subject to an interpretation that extends beyond the "pure" effect of hunger since Geier (2) has shown that the "expectancy" of food may generate a state of generalized tension expressible in heightened bodily activity.

Effect of food deprivation upon the rat's behavior in its home cage.

“…In contrast with the present results, Siegel and Steinberg (1949) have reported large increases in activity during the first day of deprivation. Their results were also obtained from <Ss in home cages, but with much less habituation experience and in much shorter test sessions than were used here.…”

RYGB progressively increases avidity for a low-energy, artificially sweetened diet in female rats

“…These large meals were accompanied by increased activity during the meal in Experiment 1 and by increased food-anticipatory activity in Experiment 3 . Increased meal-related general activity is a classical sign of hunger in rats (Richter, 1922; Patton and Mistleberger, 2013; Sheffield et al 1954; Siegel and Steinberg, 1949). Therefore, we interpret the increased ASD intake in RYGB rats to reflect tonically increased hunger.…”

“…Because the reduction in food intake caused by RYGB is expressed as a decrease in meal size in patients (Laurenius et al, 2012) and rats (Lutz and Bueter, 2014; Shin et al, 2011; Zheng et al, 2009), we compared the sizes of test meals of ASD and of Ensure in these rats. In addition, because increased food-associated general physical activity is a sign of hunger in rats (Richter, 1922; Patton and Mistleberger, 2013; Sheffield et al 1954; Siegel and Steinberg, 1949), we determined if scheduled ASD meals were accompanied by increased general activity. The Veterinary Office of the Canton of Zurich approved all procedures.…”

Physiological State Influences the Social Interactions of Two Honeybee Nest Mates

“…Homeostatic mechanisms for the maintenance of physiological state regulate many important behavioural processes in animals including foraging for and consuming food. Solitary animals search for food in a cycle that mirrors their nutritional state: hungry animals are more likely to forage and to move, and satiated ones are more likely to be quiescent after eating [1] – [4] . In contrast, in social insect societies such as bee or ant colonies, food seeking behaviour is largely carried out by specialist foragers who continually forage such that they collect food and return to share it with other colony members.…”