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Energy Expenditure and Body Composition of Chronically Maintained Decerebrate Rats in the Fed and Fasted Condition

Department of Foods and Nutrition, Dawson Hall (R.B.S.H., E.W.K., W.P.P.), University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602; Department of Biology & Center for Behavioral Neuroscience (T.J.B.), Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302-4010; and Department of Psychology (H.J.G.), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Ruth Harris, Department of Foods and Nutrition, Dawson Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602. E-mail: Harrisrb{at}uga.edu.

The contribution of the caudal brainstem to adaptation to starvation was tested using chronically maintained decerebrate (CD) and neurologically intact controls. All rats were gavage fed an amount of diet that maintained weight gain in controls. CD rats were subjected to a two-stage surgery to produce a complete transection of the neuroaxis at the mesodiencephalic juncture. One week later, the rats were housed in an indirect calorimeter, and 24 h energy expenditure was measured for 4 d. One half of each of the CD and control groups was then starved for 48 h. Fed CD rats maintained a lower body temperature (35 C), a similar energy expenditure per unit fat-free mass but an elevated respiratory quotient compared with controls. They gained less weight, had 20% less lean tissue, and had 60% more fat than controls. Circulating leptin, adiponectin, and insulin were elevated, glucose was normal, but testosterone was dramatically reduced. Responses to starvation were similar in CD and controls; they reduced energy expenditure, decreased respiratory quotient, indicating lipid utilization, defended body temperature, mobilized fat, decreased serum leptin and insulin, and regulated plasma glucose. These data clearly demonstrate that the isolated caudal brainstem is sufficient to mediate many aspects of the energetic response to starvation. In intact animals, these responses may be refined by a contribution by more rostral brain areas or by communication between fore- and hind-brain. In the absence of communication from the forebrain, the caudal brainstem is inadequate for maintenance of testosterone levels or lean tissue in fed or fasted animals.

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