Depressive symptoms are related to boredom proneness in patients receiving hospital care, regardless of alcohol status, lifestyle, or social support

International audienc

Long-term exposure to sensory feed additives during the gestational and postnatal periods impacts sows’ colostrum and milk sensory profiles, piglets’ growth and feed intake

This study investigated the effect of feed supplementation in sows and/or their progeny with two sensory feed additives (FA1: limonene and cinnamaldehyde; FA2: menthol, carvone and anethole) on sows’ feed intake, body weight, fat deposition, and colostrum/milk composition, as well as piglets’ feed intake growth and feed efficiency from birth to slaughter at postnatal day 160 (PND160). During the last third of gestation and the whole of lactation, sows were subjected to a control diet (C) or the same diet containing FA1 or FA2 at 0.1% of complete feed content. Colostrum/milk samples were taken at day 1, 14, and 28 of lactation for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. After weaning, the progeny was subjected to a control diet (C) or experimental diets with a sweetener (0.015%) but no other additive (S), or to diets with a sweetener and the additive FA1 (FA1S) or FA2 (FA2S). There was no effect of dietary treatment on sows’ feed intake, body weight, or adiposity (P > 0.15 for all), but the sensory characteristics of their colostrum/milk were modified by the diet and diet*time interaction. Limonene concentrations were higher in FA1 samples from PND1 to PND28, whereas carvone and anethole concentrations were higher in FA2 samples from PND1 to PND28. The concentration of these three compounds increased with time in the respective groups where they were mostly detected. Menthol concentrations were higher in FA2 samples at PND14 and PND28, but there was no time effect. Overall, cinnamaldehyde was always below the detection range. Piglets born from FA1 and FA2 sows had higher body weight (P = 0.034 at PND160), average daily gain (ADG P = 0.036 for PND0-160), and average daily feed intake (ADFI P = 0.006 for PND28-160) than piglets born from C sows. Overall, piglets that were never exposed to FA or only after weaning had lower ADG (P = 0.030 for PND0-160) and ADFI (P = 0.016 for PND28-160) than piglets that were exposed to FA only via the maternal diet, the condition combining both pre- and post-natal exposure being intermediary. In conclusion, FA1 and FA2 provided to gestating and lactating sows increased the progeny’s feed intake and growth, suggesting nutritional programming and/or sensory conditioning during the perinatal period. Addition of FA only in the progeny’s diet was not beneficial

Central activation after chronic vagus nerve stimulation in pigs : contribution of functional imaging

Chronic vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), used to treat refractory epilepsy, has the potential to alter food intake in animals and humans. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of VNS on the feeding behaviour of pigs used as a human model, and to investigate the origin of its potential effects. Food intake was significantly decreased after five weeks of chronic VNS. This reduction was not due to stimulation of the vagus efferents as neither gastric compliance nor gastric emptying was altered. VNS triggered a reorganisation of brain activation, probably via subcortical structures involved in the reward mechanism. The activation of the olfactory bulb during VNS is probably one of the mechanisms responsible for the drastic changes in food preference in favour of lipids.La stimulation vagale chronique (VNS), une thérapeutique de l'épilepsie pharmacorésistante, serait capable chez l'animal et chez l'homme de modifier le comportement alimentaire. Le but de notre étude était de préciser l'impact de la VNS sur le comportement alimentaire du porc pris comme modèle de l'homme et d'étudier l'origine de ses effets potentiels. La VNS conduit au bout de cinq semaines à une réduction de la quantité d'aliment ingéré. Cette réduction n'est pas la conséquence de la stimulation des efférences vagales, la compliance ou l'évacuation de l'estomac, n'étant pas modifiée. Par contre, la VNS provoque une réorganisation de l'activation cérébrale mettant vraisemblablement en jeu les structures sous-corticales impliquées dans le processus de récompense. L'activation du bulbe olfactif au cours de la VNS est probablement l'un des éléments à l'origine des modifications drastiques des préférences alimentaires en faveur des lipides

Benefits for Dominant Red Deer Hinds under a Competitive Feeding System: Food Access Behavior, Diet and Nutrient Selection

Social dominance is widely known to facilitate access to food resources in many animal species such as deer. However, research has paid little attention to dominance in ad libitum access to food because it was thought not to result in any benefit for dominant individuals. In this study we assessed if, even under ad libitum conditions, social rank may allow dominant hinds to consume the preferred components of food. Forty-four red deer hinds (Cervus elaphus) were allowed to consume ad libitum meal consisting of pellets of sunflower, lucerne and orange, and seeds of cereals, corn, cotton, and carob tree. The meal was placed only in one feeder, which reduced accessibility to a few individuals simultaneously. During seven days, feeding behavior (order of access, time to first feeding bout, total time spent feeding, and time per feeding bout) were assessed during the first hour. The relative abundance of each meal component was assessed at times 0, 1 and 5 h, as well as its nutritional composition. Social rank was positively related to the amount of time spent feeding during the 1st h (P = 0.048). Selection indices were positively correlated with energy (P = 0.018 during the 1st h and P = 0.047 from 1st to 5th) and fat (only during the 1st h; P = 0.036), but also negatively with certain minerals. Thus, dominant hinds could select high energy meal components for longer time under an ad libitum but restricted food access setting. Selection indices showed a higher selectivity when food availability was higher (1st hour respect to 1st to 5th). Finally, high and low ranking hinds had longer time per feeding bout than mid ones (P = 0.011), suggesting complex behavioral feeding tactics of low ranking social ungulates

Assessing walking posture with geometric morphometrics: Effects of rearing environment in pigs

International audienceRearing social animals like pigs in isolation from conspecifics can have consequences on behaviour and physiology. The aim of this experiment was to determine whether rearing conditions affect body postures. We adapted a method for quantitative evaluation of postures based on geometric morphometrics, developed in horses, for pigs and applied it in different conditions. Forty eight 75-day old females were reared either alone in 2.25 m2 pens (IH, N = 24 animals and 4 groups) or in groups of four in 4.64 m2 pens (GH, N = 24) for two weeks. They were habituated to human handling (stroking, speaking) and marking on their backs every day, and tested individually once a day for 10 min in a corridor outside the home pen during the two subsequent weeks. We observed their behaviour and posture during the first exposure to the test (novelty), and the fourth and fifth (after habituation). On the sixth and seventh tests, a familiar stockperson was present in the corridor (human presence). Before each test, the animals were marked with seven landmarks along their length, corresponding to anatomical points and easily located. An experimenter took pictures of the animals walking along the corridor, and these pictures were transferred to tps software for analysis. GH animals were more often active in the rearing pen than IH (median (IQ) 15% of observations [12-20%] versus 2% [0-13%]; P < 0.05). All animals except one IH initiated contact with the handler during the last sessions of handling (Fisher's exact test, ns). Principal Component Analyses revealed significant effects of rearing and testing conditions on pigs’ behaviour and posture. Novelty led to fewer vocalisations and more exploration for IH than GH animals (P < 0.05), but there were no differences between treatments after habituation to the testing situation. The backs of IH animals were more rounded than those of GH (P < 0.05; dimension 1 of PCA), independently of the test condition. Human presence had no effect on posture. In conclusion, the method based on geometric morphometrics that we developed to study pig posture detected variations in walking posture in pigs associated with rearing conditions. Postures might reflect affective states in pigs, as shown in other species, but further studies are needed to verify thi

Pre- and postnatal high fat feeding differentially affects the structure and integrity of the neurovascular unit of 16-month old male and female mice

Compelling experimental and clinical evidence supports a role for maternal obesity in offspring health. Adult children of obese mothers are at greater risk of obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke. These offspring may also be at greater risk of age-related neurodegenerative diseases for which mid-life obesity is a risk factor. Rodent diet-induced obesity models have shown that high fat (HF) diet consumption damages the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in the adult brain. However, there is currently little information about the effect of chronic HF feeding on the BBB of aged animals. Moreover, the long-term consequences of maternal obesity on the cerebrovasculature of aged offspring are not known. This study determined the impact of pre- and postnatal HF diet on the structure and integrity of cerebral blood vessels in aged male and female mice. Female C57Bl/6 mice were fed either a 10% fat control (C) or 45% HF diet before mating and during gestation and lactation. At weaning, male and female offspring were fed the C or HF diet until sacrifice at 16-months of age. Both dams and offspring fed the HF diet weighed significantly more than mice fed the C diet. Postnatal HF diet exposure increased hippocampal BBB leakiness in female offspring, in association with loss of astrocyte endfoot coverage of arteries. Markers of tight junctions, pericytes or smooth muscle cells were not altered by pre- or postnatal HF diet. Male offspring born to HF-fed mothers showed decreased parenchymal GFAP expression compared to offspring of mothers fed C diet, while microglial and macrophage markers were higher in the same female diet group. In addition, female offspring exposed to the HF diet for their entire lifespan showed more significant changes in vessel structure, BBB permeability and inflammation compared to male animals. These results suggest that the long-term impact of prenatal HF diet on the integrity of cerebral blood vessels differs between male and female offspring depending on the postnatal diet. This may have implications for the prevention and management of age- and obesity-related cerebrovascular diseases that differentially affect men and women

Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Healthy Humans Reduces Sympathetic Nerve Activity

Background: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is currently used to treat refractory epilepsy and is being investigated as a potential therapy for a range of conditions, including heart failure, tinnitus, obesity and Alzheimer's disease. However, the invasive nature and expense limits the use of VNS in patient populations and hinders the exploration of the mechanisms involved. Objective: We investigated a non-invasive method of VNS through electrical stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve distributed to the skin of the ear – transcutaneous VNS (tVNS) and measured the autonomic effects. Methods: The effects of tVNS parameters on autonomic function in 48 healthy participants were investigated using heart rate variability (HRV) and microneurography. tVNS was performed using a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machine and modified surface electrodes. Participants visited the laboratory once and received either active (200 μs, 30 Hz; n = 34) or sham (n = 14) stimulation. Results: Active tVNS significantly increased HRV in healthy participants (P = 0.026) indicating a shift in cardiac autonomic function toward parasympathetic predominance. Microneurographic recordings revealed a significant decrease in frequency (P = 0.0001) and incidence (P = 0.0002) of muscle sympathetic nerve activity during tVNS. Conclusion: tVNS can increase HRV and reduce sympathetic nerve outflow, which is desirable in conditions characterized by enhanced sympathetic nerve activity, such as heart failure. tVNS can therefore influence human physiology and provide a simple and inexpensive alternative to invasive VNS