The anorexia of aging syndrome in humans is characterized by spontaneous bo
dy weight loss reflecting diminished food intake. We reported previously th
at old rats undergoing a similar phenomenon of progressive weight loss (i.e
., senescent rats) also display altered feeding behavior, including reduced
meal size and duration. Here, we tested the hypothesis that blunted respon
siveness to neuropeptide Y (NPY), a feeding stimulant, occurs concurrently
with senescence-associated anorexia/hypophagia. Young (8 mo old, n = 9) and
old (24-30 mo old, n = 11) male Fischer 344 rats received intracerebrovent
ricular NPY or artificial cerbrospinal fluid injections. In response to a m
aximum effective NPY dose (10 mug), the net increase in size of the first m
eal after injection was similar in old weight-stable (presenescent) and you
ng rats (10.85 +/- 1.73 and 12.63 +/- 2.52 g/kg body wt(0.67), respectively
). In contrast, senescent rats that had spontaneously lost similar to 10% o
f body weight had significantly lower net increases at their first post-NPY
meal (1.33 +/- 0.33 g/kg body wt 0.67) than before they began losing weigh
t. Thus altered feeding responses to NPY occur in aging rats concomitantly
with spontaneous decrements in food intake and body weight near the end of
life.