Sugar Addiction in Rats: Links to Drugs of Abuse

Princeton University, Princeton NJ

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objectives and aims of this research proposal are to investigate the neural and behavioral correlates of sugar and drug addictions. The recent increased awareness of eating disorders and obesity in our country has led many to speculate about the addictive properties of food, and how this addiction may be related to the over-eating epidemic our society is currently facing. Recent research in rodents has indicated that sugar bingeing can lead to dependency that shares some behavioral and neurochemical similarities with drug dependency (Colantuoni et al., 2001; Colantuoni et al., 2002). This proposal plans to elaborate on these findings, by behaviorally investigating sugar craving, sensitization and cross-sensitization with other known drugs of abuse. Moreover, this research will examine neurochemical similarities between sugar and drug addiction in the nucleus accumbens. By further elucidating a possible link between food and drugs, new pharmacological and behavioral treatments may be developed to treat eating disorders.