Figure 2.

Activation of D1 neurons in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) increases food intake and running distance, while inhibition of D1 neurons suppresses food intake without effecting running distance. D1-Cre mice with Cre-inducible Gq-DREADD expression in the NAc were given access to wheels for 2 weeks of training. Saline or clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) was injected i.p. 2 h before the onset of the dark cycle on two consecutive days, and running distance and food intake over 24 h after injection were assessed. (A) Activation of D1 neurons in the NAc increased running distance (paired t test *P = 0.0007, n = 7) and food intake (paired t test *P = 0.0008, n = 7) during 24 h after injection (B). (C) Inhibition of D1 neurons in the NAc did not change running distance but decreased food intake (D) over 24 h (paired t test *P = 0.0026, n = 8).