HYPONEOPHAGIA IN WISTAR-KYOTO (WKY) RATS

Unconditioned suppression of feeding due to novelty (hyponeophagia) wa s studied in Wistar Kyoto (WKY), Lewis, Fischer 344, and Wistar rats. Fasted rats were given access to food either in home cages (controls) or to a single pellet fixed to the middle of a novel open field enviro nment (experimental). The degree of feeding suppression was significan tly greater in WKY rats compared to the other three strains. We sugges t that this hyponeophagia resembles the reduced feeding frequently ass ociated with behavioral depression, and that this behavior in WKY rats is another demonstration that this strain is very responsive to stres sful stimulation and may serve as a useful animal model for depressive behavior.