AUTHOR=Price Amanda E. , Anastasio Noelle C. , Stutz Sonja J. , Hommel Jonathan D. , Cunningham Kathryn A. 

TITLE=Serotonin 5-HT2C Receptor Activation Suppresses Binge Intake and the Reinforcing and Motivational Properties of High-Fat Food

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2018.00821

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2018.00821

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p>Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by dysfunctional hedonic food intake and reward-related processes. Activation of the serotonin (5-HT) 5-HT<sub>2C</sub> receptor (5-HT<sub>2C</sub>R) suppresses both food intake and reward-related behaviors and is thus poised to regulate BED. This study assessed the effects of 5-HT<sub>2C</sub>R activation <italic>via</italic> the selective 5-HT<sub>2C</sub>R agonist WAY163909 on binge eating-related behaviors in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Low doses of WAY163909 (1.0, 2.0 mg/kg) suppressed high-fat food (HFF) binge intake, but not standard food non-binge intake. WAY163909 (1.0 mg/kg) also attenuated operant responding for self-administered HFF pellets on fixed and progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement, indicating that 5-HT<sub>2C</sub>R activation suppresses the reinforcing and motivational properties of HFF, respectively. These findings suggest that activation of the 5-HT<sub>2C</sub>R may be effective at suppressing binge eating in patients with BED <italic>via</italic> suppression of the reinforcing and motivational properties of HFF. This work supports future studies targeting the 5-HT<sub>2C</sub>R in the treatment of BED.</p>