The effect of pre-exposure and recovery type on activity-based anorexia in rats

► Explore the effect of pre-exposure on activity-based anorexia (ABA) in rats. ► Examine the effect of food restriction and wheel access during recovery from ABA. ► Food restriction ameliorates ABA while wheel access exacerbates it. ► Wheel access during recovery from ABA promotes weight gain. ► Pre-exposure to food restriction promotes weight gain in food restriction recovery. Activity-based anorexia (ABA) occurs when there is limited access to food and an opportunity to engage in high levels of physical activity. While the ABA effect is well established, the distinct functions of exercise and food restriction in maintaining ABA have not been determined. The current study examined the effect of pre-exposure to a restricted feeding schedule and pre-exposure to a running wheel on the incidence of ABA in 36 rats. Access to food and the running wheel was also varied in the recovery phase of the study in order to establish the effect of these variables on recovery from ABA. Three adaptation conditions (pre-exposed to food restriction, pre-exposed to wheel access and non-exposed) and two recovery conditions (wheel access and food restriction recovery) defined the six groups in the current study. Pre-exposure to food restriction was found to ameliorate the ABA effect during the anorexia phase while pre-exposure to wheel access exacerbated ABA. It was also found that subjects in the wheel access recovery condition gained more weight than the subjects in the food restriction recovery. In food restriction recovery, there was an interaction between the adaptation and recovery condition, with subjects that were pre-exposed to food restriction gaining the most weight. The results of the current study aid in understanding the distinct functions of food restriction and exercise in maintaining and recovering from ABA and have possible implications for the treatment of people diagnosed with some types of anorexia nervosa.