Curt Richter: Spontaneous activity and food intake

Curt Richter's seminal contributions to the field of psychobiology continue to enlighten us today. His approaches to scientific questions, his ability to design ways of allowing his research subjects (usually rats) to answer his questions and his unique style of data presentation inform current...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Appetite 2007-09, Vol.49 (2), p.368-375
Main Authors: Moran, Timothy H., Tamashiro, Kellie L.K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
animal models
Animals
biographies
Biological Clocks
Biological rhythms
Eating - physiology
food intake
Gastrointestinal Motility
History, 20th Century
human nutrition
Internal drive
Motor Activity - physiology
muscle contraction
nutrition research
nutrition science
physical activity
Psychobiology
Rat behavior
Rats
Richter
spontaneous activity
stomach
stomach contracture
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Summary:Curt Richter's seminal contributions to the field of psychobiology continue to enlighten us today. His approaches to scientific questions, his ability to design ways of allowing his research subjects (usually rats) to answer his questions and his unique style of data presentation inform current investigations into the biological bases of behavior. One of Richter's earliest interests was identifying the causes of rhythmic spontaneous activity. Richter demonstrated an important relationship between bouts of activity and food intake in the laboratory rat. In his search for a causal link, he invoked contemporary thinking about the relationships between gastric contractions and hunger. Although his idea for a causal role for stomach contractions in eliciting spontaneous activity and food intake was mistaken, this early work identified themes for many of Richter's subsequent contributions and his behavioral observations continue to be relevant for current investigations.
ISSN:0195-6663
1095-8304
DOI:10.1016/j.appet.2006.09.016