Temporal partitioning of daily food intake is crucial for survival and involves the integration of internal circadian states and external influences such as the light-dark cycle and dietary composition. These intrinsic and extrinsic factors are interdependent with misalignment of circadian rhythms promoting body weight gain, while consumption of a calorie dense diet elevates the risk of obesity and blunts circadian rhythms. Recently, we defined circadian properties of the dorsal vagal complex of the brainstem, a structure implicated in the control of food intake and autonomic tone, but if and how 24 h rhythms in this area are influenced by diet remains unresolved.

Here we focused on a key structure of this complex, the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). We used a combination of immunohistochemical and electrophysiological approaches together with daily monitoring of body weight and food intake to interrogate how the neuronal rhythms of the NTS are affected by high-fat diet. We report that short-term consumption of a high-fat diet increases food intake during the day and blunts NTS daily rhythms in neuronal discharge. Additionally, we found that high-fat diet dampens NTS responsiveness to metabolic neuropeptides, and decreases orexin immunoreactive fibres in this structure.

These alterations occur without prominent body weight gain, suggesting that high-fat diet acts initially to reduce activity in the NTS to disinhibit mechanisms that suppress daytime feeding.

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