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Study · Animal study (in vivo) · mouse · 2026

3 results

Acute stress suppresses hunger-driven food seeking through PVN activation: Reversal by anxiolytic drug and ghrelin receptor agonist, with anxiolytic-like effects of refeeding.

Tojo R, Tashiro M, Takahashi H, Tamura H

Neuroscience research17 Nov 2025

PMID41260416 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.1016/j.neures.2025.104989 (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-41260416
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Summary

Feeding behavior is influenced by both metabolic drive and emotional context, yet how acute stress interferes with hunger-driven motivation remains poorly understood. Using a conflict-based open-field feeding paradigm, we examined how 30-min restraint stress alters food-seeking behavior in fasted mice and how pharmacological or physiological interventions modulate this effect. Acute restraint abolished fasting-induced increases in food seeking and intake, an effect that was reversed by intraperitoneal diazepam, an anxiolytic, and by MK-677, a ghrelin receptor agonist that enhances appetite. To identify neural correlates, we quantified c-Fos (neuronal activation) and phosphorylated pyruvate dehydrogenase (pPDH; neuronal inhibition) in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN). Diazepam suppressed restraint-induced c-Fos expression, whereas MK-677 increased pPDH, revealing distinct PVN signatures for anxiolysis and enhanced feeding drive. Notably, refeeding after fasting induced a similar pPDH-dominant pattern and attenuated stress-induced anxiety-related behaviors, indicating that restoration of energy balance exerts intrinsic anti-stress effects through PVN inhibition. Together, these findings reveal that acute stress suppresses hunger-driven food seeking via PVN activation, pharmacological inhibition reverses this suppression, and physiological refeeding promotes stress resilience via PVN-medicated inhibition, highlighting PVN modulation as a shared mechanism linking emotional and metabolic homeostasis.
CC BYText from Europe PMC. Highlighted sentences are the source of results.

Results from this study3

3 results from studies that gave the peptide. No result from this study comes from people.

  1. 01AnimalAnimal study (in vivo)Efficacy outcome

    In fasted mice, MK‑677 reversed restraint-induced suppression of food seeking.

    In plain wordsIn mice, MK‑677 reversed the reduction in food seeking after restraint stress.

    Peptide
    MK-677 (ibutamoren)
    Outcome
    IncreaseFood seeking
    Study

    micen: not reported in source

    fasted mice under acute restraint stress
    Outcome group
    Appetite and food intake · Metabolic and weight
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Acute restraint abolished fasting-induced increases in food seeking and intake, an effect that was reversed by intraperitoneal diazepam, an anxiolytic, and by MK-677, a ghrelin receptor agonist that enhances appetite.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    Using a conflict-based open-field feeding paradigm, we examined how 30-min restraint stress alters food-seeking behavior in fasted mice and how pharmacological or physiological interventions modulate this effect.
  2. 02AnimalAnimal study (in vivo)Efficacy outcome

    In fasted mice, MK‑677 reversed restraint-induced suppression of food intake.

    In plain wordsIn mice, MK‑677 reversed the reduction in food intake after restraint stress.

    Peptide
    MK-677 (ibutamoren)
    Outcome
    IncreaseFood intake
    Study

    micen: not reported in source

    fasted mice under acute restraint stress
    Outcome group
    Appetite and food intake · Metabolic and weight
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Acute restraint abolished fasting-induced increases in food seeking and intake, an effect that was reversed by intraperitoneal diazepam, an anxiolytic, and by MK-677, a ghrelin receptor agonist that enhances appetite.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    Using a conflict-based open-field feeding paradigm, we examined how 30-min restraint stress alters food-seeking behavior in fasted mice and how pharmacological or physiological interventions modulate this effect.
  3. 03AnimalAnimal study (in vivo)Mechanism

    In fasted mice under restraint stress, MK‑677 increased PVN pPDH.

    In plain wordsIn mice under restraint stress, MK‑677 increased a marker of neuronal inhibition in the PVN.

    Peptide
    MK-677 (ibutamoren)
    Outcome
    IncreasePVN pPDH
    Study

    micen: not reported in source

    fasted mice under acute restraint stress
    Outcome group
    Receptor activity and mechanism · Nervous system and cognition
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Diazepam suppressed restraint-induced c-Fos expression, whereas MK-677 increased pPDH, revealing distinct PVN signatures for anxiolysis and enhanced feeding drive.
    2 context sentences
    Summary · context
    To identify neural correlates, we quantified c-Fos (neuronal activation) and phosphorylated pyruvate dehydrogenase (pPDH; neuronal inhibition) in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN).
    Summary · context
    Using a conflict-based open-field feeding paradigm, we examined how 30-min restraint stress alters food-seeking behavior in fasted mice and how pharmacological or physiological interventions modulate this effect.

AI wrote and checked these results. AI can make mistakes, so check important results against the source.

Version history

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  1. Version 2Current

    14 Oct 2026, 05:02 UTC

    Study results updated

  2. Version 1

    14 Oct 2026, 01:46 UTC

    First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

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