Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric disorder involving self-starvation, an intense fear of weight gain, and compulsive hyperactivity, which has led to a mortality rate around 16.9 times greater than for the general population2. The activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm is a well established model that has been used to study compulsive AN behaviors. In this paradigm, mice are given limited food access along with 24-hour access to a running wheel, resulting in the mice losing a significant amount of weight, exhibiting significantly more activity than control mice, and voluntarily restricting their food intake by choosing to run on a wheel instead of eating4-6. The aim of this study was to replicate previous studies using the ABA paradigm in adolescent male and female mice. In doing this, we showed that the combination of wheel access and food restriction resulted in greater running activity, particularly in the hours preceding food presentation, as well as greater weight loss. Our successful implementation of the ABA paradigm will allow for the completion of future studies assessing the neurobiological underpinnings of addictive AN behaviors.

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