UWEC CERCA 2026

Obesity is a prevalent condition that causes adverse health conditions and death, where medical and pharmaceutical treatments are options for patients. Sibutramine, a known obesity treatment, shares its pharmacological mechanism of action with duloxetine. Both are serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. Duloxetine’s effects on hunger remain unclear. This study examines whether duloxetine reduces hunger in rats trained in an operant chamber to discriminate between 22-hour and 2-hour food deprivation. After 22-hour food deprivation, left-lever responses were reinforced with a 45mg sugar pellet. Right-lever responses produced eight seconds of darkness. Contingencies were reversed after 2-hour food deprivation. Male and female rats received duloxetine (1-32 mg/kg). Following injections, rats were tested for their perceived hunger (a decrease in left-lever responses). Post-test, one hour of food and water consumption was measured.  In males, but not females,17.8 mg/kg reduced hunger. Duloxetine decreased food consumption and lever pressing rates in all doses compared to the 22-hour control condition in both males and females. In the future, this lab will study whether the reduction in hunger and food intake is due solely to serotonin or norepinephrine activation, or the combination of both. The results of this study may help obesity therapies in the future.