Animal Behaviour - Role of Diet
Cats require the amino acid taurine in their diet, as they cannot synthesise it in sufficient amounts. Taurine is essential for normal vision, heart function, and reproduction, making it a critical component of a cat's nutritional needs.
What amino acid do cats require in their diet?
Taurine
Key Terms
What amino acid do cats require in their diet?
Taurine
What neurobiological effect does eating have?
Positive dopamine
What factors influence taste preference?
Experiences and genetics
Give three “popular beliefs” about diet and behaviour in dogs
Hyperactive/aggresive dogs need a low protein diet to calm them
High carbohydrate diets calm anxious dogs
Artificial preservatives eg. ...
What amino acids is serotonin made up from?
Tryptophan and tyrosine
Which NT does tryptophan contribute to?
Serotonin (MOOD)
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
What amino acid do cats require in their diet? | Taurine |
What neurobiological effect does eating have? | Positive dopamine |
What factors influence taste preference? | Experiences and genetics |
Give three “popular beliefs” about diet and behaviour in dogs | Hyperactive/aggresive dogs need a low protein diet to calm them High carbohydrate diets calm anxious dogs Artificial preservatives eg. ethoxyquin affect behaviour more than natural preservative eg. vit C |
What amino acids is serotonin made up from? | Tryptophan and tyrosine |
Which NT does tryptophan contribute to? | Serotonin (MOOD) |
Which NT does tyrosine contribute to? | Catecholamines (STRESS) |
Which NT does histidine contribute to? | Histamine (IMMUNE) |
Which factors affect how much the NT levels are affected by food? | Timing of food, composition of diet, Digestability of diet |
What have diets high in tryptophan shown? | Conflicting results - Decreased and increased aggression (rodents and primates) Reduced self injurious behaviour in primates Increased exploratory behaviour in foxes |
What have diets low in tryptophan shown? | ^Aggression, anger and frustration in humans Increased turnover of tryptophan and serotonin in acute stress Decreased turnover of tryptophan and serotonin in chronic stress/depression |
Where does conversion of tryptophan to serotonin occur? How much trypotohan is converted? What is tae of conversion affected by? | 1% in GIT Conversion affected by - trypotphan, other LNAAs, fatty acids, carbohydrates (->insulin release -> aa uptake, often aa other than tryptophan are more favourable) |
Why is getting int o the brain difficult? | Has to compete with other Large Neutral Amino Acids (LNAAs) to cross BBB |
What happens to free tryptophan? | Binds to albumin in plasma and cants cross BBB Fat levels important for albumin |
How do carbohydrates affect tryptophan levels? | Stimulate relase of insulin -> aa uptake (other aa than tryptophan more favourable so decreased competition at the BBB) |
Which enzyme is the rate limited step for trypotophan -> serotonin conversion? | Tyrptophan hydroxylase |
What is the purpose of albumen in tryptophan transport? | Binding to tryptophan “keeping it safe” until reaching the BBB |
What NTs does tyrosine form? | Catecholamines - Dopamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline |
When does NA turnover increase? | During periods of high stress therefore high tyrosine diet protective of effects of acute stress (rodent studies) |
How does tyrosine impact other aa levels? | Competes with other AAs at BBB Generally higher concentration in normal protein than tryptophan so high protein meal ^tyrosine, vtryptophan |
What did Dodman et al 1996 show? | No effect of dietary protein levels for dominance aggressive, hyperactive or control dogs Significant effect of protein level of territorial aggression dogs due to fear (low protein -> v aggression) |
What did De Napoli et al 2000 show? | No change in behaviour within each group (dominance/territorial/hyper) But combined, decrease in territorial aggression for dogs fed low protein + tryptophan supplement (i.e. ^trypotophan) Increase in dominance aggression for dogs fed high protein no tryptophan supplementation (ie. vtryptophan) |
What did Bosch et al 2009 show? | No difference in response in mildly anxious dogs |
How may carbohydrates affect behaviour? | Digestible - Starch ->monosaccharides eg. glucose. Fluctuations in blood glucose -> hyperactivity etc. Also impacts aa uptake into muscles by ^insulin release from pancreas. Uptake of other aa leaves ^conc of tryptophan at BBB Indigestible - Fibre-> fermented in colon to produce fatty acids, lactate and gases, affects feeling of satiety |
What form of tryptophan will not be affected by insulin release? | Albumin bound tryptophan |
What is the popular diet theory for dogs? | Feed wholemeal pasta 2x daily after protein meal | Supplement vit B6 (cofactor for enzymes breaking down protein, direct hormonal effect (?)) |
Does the impact of carbohydrate intake actually have an impact of tryptophan levels? | Yes, but minute - an increase of 4% protein in the diet eliminates the effect totally Change in protein level has a more significant effect |
What other factor also influences change in mood and tryptophan levels? | Genetics |
Does high or low viscosity food take longer to digest? | Low! eg. soup |
What effects does dietary fibre have on satiety? | ^ satiety ^ viscosity in stomach ^ release of GLP to inhibit gastric emptying ^ intestinal transit time |
What did Bosch 2009a show? | Decreased food seeking behaviour and voluntary food consumption with high fibre diet |
What did Bosch 2009b show? | Decreased activity with high fermentable fibre diet | No change in response to stressors with high fermentable fibre diet |
What are lipids used for in the body? | cell membranes steroid hormone precursor energy source |
What are PUFAs? What are they used for in the body? | Poly unsaturated fatty acids - Brain tissue, eg. omega 6 |
What effect of PUFA in the diet have been shown? | V learning ability in rodent when deficient in PUFAs and ^ when supplemented PUFA deficient rats sometimes show ^behavioural stress response |
How has fat been shown to affect humans? | Increased reaction times (slower) with low fat diet |
What has been shown to reduce the rate of cognitive decline in lab dogs? | Anti-oxidant enrichment and mitochondrial cofactor enrichment |
What have lipids been shown to affect in dogs? | Retinal development in puppies Cognitive decline Difference in ratio of some fatty acids found in association with aggressive v non-aggressive dogs, but no causality proven. |
What is the overall conclusion regarding role of diet on behaviour? | Insufficient evidence to conclude effects small scale studies, results not in agreement Tryptophan uptake important bu only small part of the picture |
What is a neutraceutical? | Food substance marketed as having a pharmaceutical effect Non prescription Often limited evidence Marketed as natural and with decreased side effects |
Give an example of a neutracuetical | Zylkene - Alpha casein hydrosylate protein from milk Thought to act at GABA a receptor (=benzodiazepene mechanism of action) calming Some effect shown in rodent and human studies Mixed results in dogs and cats (Beeta 2007, Palestrini 2010) |