Hippocampus Oxytocin Signaling Promotes Prosocial Eating in Rats.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Animal laboratory study
PubMed 39038641 · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.07.014
What was done
Male Sprague Dawley rats underwent gain- and loss-of-function manipulations targeting oxytocin signaling in the dorsal hippocampus (HPCd). Animals were tested in a social eating paradigm measuring their first nocturnal meal intake across three social contexts: isolated, in the presence of a familiar conspecific, or in the presence of an unfamiliar conspecific. Investigators also evaluated the effects of chronic HPCd oxytocin receptor knockdown on olfactory-based social transmission of food preferences, general sociality, and social recognition memory.
What was found
The abstract reports directional findings without numerical values or sample sizes. Exogenous HPCd oxytocin administration did not alter food intake in isolated rats, but significantly increased food consumption when in the presence of a familiar conspecific; no increase occurred with an unfamiliar conspecific. Conversely, chronic knockdown of HPCd oxytocin receptors prevented the intake-promoting effect of familiar conspecifics, blocked the social transmission of food preferences, and impaired social recognition memory, while having no effect on baseline sociality.
Why it matters
The findings identify dorsal hippocampal oxytocin signaling as a neural mechanism linking social context with feeding behavior, specifically driving the social facilitation of eating and the acquisition of social food preferences.
Limits
Findings are restricted to male Sprague Dawley rats, precluding direct extrapolation to female rats or humans. The abstract reports no sample sizes, dosages, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. Long-term metabolic consequences and non-nocturnal feeding behaviors were not assessed.
Cited by
- context Eating meals together while looking at each other triggers the release of oxytocin and dopamine.