Involvement of the medial prefrontal cortex in food addiction: new insights from in vivo calcium Imaging

Abstract

Food addiction is a multifactorial disorder characterized by a loss of control over food intake, contributing to the development of obesity. To investigate the involvement of the prelimbic (PL) medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in the transition to food addiction, we examined PL calcium dynamics in mice exhibiting addicted versus non-addicted behavioral phenotypes. Our behavioral results allowed the identification of two distinct subpopulations of addicted and non-addicted mice, enabling direct comparison of their neural activity profiles. Addicted and non-addicted mice showed significant differences across several PL calcium activity parameters. These findings demonstrate a strong association between PL mPFC calcium activity dynamics and key addiction criteria, highlighting a critical role of this brain region in the development of food addiction. Understanding these neurobiological differences enhances our insight into brain mechanisms underlying loss of eating control and may inform more targeted approaches for studying and ultimately treating food addiction.