Two feeding syndromes following surgical isolation of the hypothalamus in rats.

Abstract

When the hypothalamus was circumsected using acute procedures, 31 albino rats either showed immediate feeding behavior in spite of extensive hypothalamic destruction, or with large lesions were immediately aphagic although behaviorally responsive in other ways. When chronic procedures were used 64 albino rats were either aphagic for long periods of time, or showed traces of feeding behavior within a few days following lesioning and gradually increasing intake. Ss' short period of initial total aphagia appeared to be a reflection of general arousal difficulties rather than a specific feeding deficit. Several differences between these feeding syndromes and that of the S with lateral hypothalamic lesions is attributed to the additional elimination of medial hypothalamic inhibitory influences on feeding in the circumsected animals. (29 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)