Feeding-related behaviors constitute the behavioral aspect of the counterregulatory response to starvation. In flies, general activity and arousal is enhanced CONNOLLY 1966Bell 1985Lee 2004Yang 2015Yu 2016, arguably to facilitate food discovery. Along the same veins, food sensitivity is also increased Colomb 2009Moss 1983, correlated
with an increase in sugar receptor neuron sensitivity and gene
expression Amakawa 2001Meunier 2007Nishimura 2012. Several involved neuropeptides have been identified (for a review see: Nässel 2010). In addition to neuropeptides, also here the catecholamines are contributing to the processes triggered by starvation. Dopamine (DA) is involved in mediating
motivation signals Krashes 2009 and modulating the starvation-induced sugar response after short starvation
periods Inagaki 2012, while octopamine (OA) or its precursor tyramine (TA) have been reported to promote feeding behaviors Long 1983Nisimura 2005. Starvation may be conceived as a stressor triggering catecholaminergic
action. Indeed, different stressors have been shown in different insects
to modify the OA/TA-system by enhancing tßh expression Chatel 2012, subsequently increasing OA levels Kononenko 2009, which, in turn, releases triglycerides and carbohydrates into the hemolymph Woodring 1989.