Contextual fear cues inhibit eating in food-deprived male and female rats

• Examined if aversive contextual conditioned cues can inhibit eating in hungry rats.
• Male and female rats received footshocks in a distinct context (conditioned group).
• Conditioned males and females ate less in aversive context than no-shock controls.
• Males ate significantly less in a conditioned aversive than neutral context.
• Females did not discriminate eating between the aversive and neutral contexts.

Previously we have shown that food-deprived male and female rats inhibit food consumption when presented with a discrete conditioned stimulus that signals danger. Here, in a series of three experiments, we examined whether contextual conditioned stimuli can exert the same effect. Experiment 1 paired a distinct context with footshocks, to examine food intake in food-deprived rats upon re-exposure to the context. Experiment 2 used a discrimination protocol with two alternating contexts; rats were given food in one, and received footshocks in the other. This protocol allowed us to monitor food consumption during training in a context never associated with footshocks, and to evaluate consumption at test in a context that had been previously paired with footshocks. Experiments 1 and 2 compared experimental groups to controls that never received footshocks. Experiment 3 used a within-subjects design to assess the specificity of the inhibition by the contextual cues, separate from any generalized effects due solely to the prior experience of footshocks. Our results demonstrate that similar to discrete cues, contextual cues previously associated with aversive events can inhibit feeding in food-deprived animals. These findings are important for our understanding of environmental contributions to the control of food intake.