Binge Feeding Promotes Appetite via Modulating Olfactory Flavor Representation

Abstract

Binge eating commonly leads to overeating, but the exact mechanism is unclear. While it is known that experiencing flavor contributes to satiety, the interactions between flavor, feeding rate, and food intake remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate a novel feeding rate-dependent feedback loop between olfactory flavor representation in the anterior olfactory (piriform) cortex (aPC) and food intake. Using miniscopes for in vivo calcium imaging in freely foraging mice, we identified specific excitatory neuronal responses to food and water during slow feeding. Switching to binge feeding transformed these specific responses into unspecific global suppression of neuronal activity. Food consumption was predicted by the degree of suppression of neuronal activity in the aPC during binge feeding. Also, food deprivation enhanced neuronal activity suppression. We confirmed the hypothesis that aPC suppression promotes food intake with closed-loop optogenetics experiments. Together, we show that olfactory sensory representation in the aPC reciprocally interacts with consummatory behavior to enhance food intake.