Subjects: C57BL/6J adolescent male (n=3) and female (n=5) mice were generated from breeding pairs purchased from The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME.  

Acclimation: From postnatal day (PND) 33 to PND 35, mice were singly housed with full access to a wireless running wheel, standard chow, and water. 

Activity Based Anorexia Group: Starting on PND 36, the ABA mice (2 male & 2 female)  had their food access restricted to the first 2 hours of their dark cycle, but had full access to water and a running wheel (ENV-047, MED Associates) throughout the entire experimental period. During the 2 hours of food access, standard chow was placed in a container inside the cage. 2 hours after food access, the mice and their running wheels were moved to new cages to allow for intake measurements. The ABA mice were removed from the study once they lost 25% of their baseline body weight, adjusted for expected C57BL/6J adolescent growth. 

Exercise Group: The exercise (EXE) mice (1 male & 3 female) were given food and water ad libitum and had full access to a running wheel throughout the experimental period. Food and water were presented in the same manner as for the ABA group. Like the ABA mice, the EXE mice underwent daily cage changes to ensure accurate intake measurements. The EXE mice were removed from the study when the last ABA mouse in their cohort was removed.

Data analysis: Body weight (g), food intake (g), and water intake (mL) were collected daily. Wheel running (revolutions) was continuously monitored, with a focus on wheel activity during three time periods: the 3 hours preceding food presentation (food anticipatory activity; FAA), the 2-hour feeding window, and the 3 hours after food presentation (post-prandial activity; PPA). Each variable was analyzed using a two-way ANOVA, with the two factors being session and food access.