The Effect of Exposure to Aversive Stimuli on Activity Based Anorexia

<p>Activity-based anorexia (ABA) occurs when food access is limited and there is an opportunity to participate in physical activity for extended periods of time. These experiments address whether exposure to aversive stimuli during baseline and limited food access with running wheel access (ABA) phases influences weight loss in the ABA procedure. In the first experiment, twentyseven male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three conditions for extended periods across days: immobilization and light, elevated heights and control (no exposure to aversive stimuli). In the second experiment, ten rats were divided into two groups under a forced running condition. The results indicated that exposure to elevated heights during both baseline and the ABA phases decreased weight loss compared to the control group. Exposure to forced-running during the ABA phase only and pre-exposure phase only was found to produce the same weight loss as the control group. Subjects that were exposed to immobilization and light in both phases exhibited the greatest weight loss.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Bryn Mawr only

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year

2016

Author dc:creator

• Burdzy, Anne Castley

• Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://repository.brynmawr.edu/dissertations/145

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.brynmawr.edu:dissertations-1146