Effects of rimonabant on behavior maintained by progressive ratio schedules of sucrose reinforcement in obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats.

This experiment reports on the ability of rimonabant to alter the reinforcing properties of food in the genetically obese Zucker (fa/fa) rat, a strain that exhibits higher levels of endocannabinoids in brain regions that correspond to heightened food intake. We characterized food reinforcement in obese and lean Zucker rats by placing behavior under progressive ratio schedules of sucrose reinforcement. Then, doses of rimonabant (1-10 mg/kg), a CB1 receptor antagonist, were administered. Obese Zuckers had slightly higher breakpoints for sucrose under baseline conditions compared with leans, and also demonstrated significantly higher response rates than leans. Rimonabant dose-dependently decreased breakpoints and response rates for both groups, though only obese Zuckers demonstrated suppressed behavior under the 1 mg/kg dose. The 10 mg/kg dose of rimonabant reduced breakpoints equally for both groups (by about 60%). This dose of rimonabant also reduced food intake by 20% in lean Zuckers, and by 30% in obese Zuckers. These findings extend the literature that rimonabant reduces food reinforcer efficacy, and suggest that obese Zuckers may exhibit a heightened sensitivity to rimonabant. The findings also suggest that the effort required to obtain food reinforcement may also play a role in the efficacy of rimonabant.