Data from: Transection of the glossopharyngeal nerve reduces energy and sugar intake but does not affect fat intake or meal patterns in rats offered a palatable cafeteria diet

Taste information is transmitted to the brain via branches of cranial
nerves VII (chorda tympani, CT, and greater superficial petrosal, GSP), IX
(glossopharyngeal, GL), and X (superior laryngeal branch of the vagus)
with each nerve innervating relatively segregated fields of taste buds on
the tongue, palate, and laryngeal epithelium. Approximately 70% of taste
buds reside on the tongue and are innervated by the CT or GL. Previously
we found that rats offered a 5-choice cafeteria diet after combined
transection of the CT and GL (2NX) ate more fat, less sugar, and larger,
but fewer meals each day resulting in no net change in total daily energy
intake and suggesting a role for the CT and/or GL in food choice,
regulation of macronutrient intake, and satiation signaling, but the role
of the individual nerves was unclear. To begin identifying the role of
each nerve, this experiment aimed to interrogate the effects of
transection of the GL (GLX) on food choice and meal patterns in rats
offered a cafeteria diet after recovery from GLX or SHAM surgery. We found
that GLX did not affect fat intake or meal patterns, but, compared with
SHAM-operated controls, GLX rats had lower sugar intake, driven largely by
a heightened preference for the food choice with low fat and low sugar
content. These findings indicate that the GLX alone is not responsible for
the elevated fat intake or meal size found in rats after 2NX, but could be
solely responsible for noted reductions in sugar intake. These data are in
spreadsheet format. The first tab defines all column names and
abbreviations used in the data tables including units for measurement
values given. There are multiple sheets (tabs) that include body weight,
meal pattern parameters, food choices, and macronutrient intake for each
rat in the published research.