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Abstract
The Crunchometer is a low-cost, open-source acoustic system for high-resolution monitoring of solid food consumption.
- Validation across energy states confirmed sensitivity to changes in feeding microstructure.
- The system reliably detected semaglutide-induced suppression of intake and reduced preference for a high-fat diet.
- Integration with in vivo recordings identified 'meal-related' neurons in the lateral hypothalamus that track entire meals.
- Calcium imaging revealed distinct subsets of neurons that respond specifically to feeding, licking, or both behaviors.
- LH neuronal ensembles differentially encode the consumption of solid food versus liquid sucrose.
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