Electrical stimulation of hypothalamus and gastric secretion in the albino rat

Abstract

Platinum bipolar stimulatory electrodes were implanted unilaterally into the ventromedial or lateral hypothalamus of rats fitted with chronic gastric cannulas. These hypothalamic areas have previously been shown to influence food intake. Interdigestive and insulin-induced gastric secretion was collected with and without periods of electrical stimulation. Animals in which the electrode tips resided in the ventromedial nucleus (satiety center) exhibited a significant decrease in volume and output of both acid and pepsin when the gastric content was collected during electrical stimulation and compared to a control study. Animals in which the electrode tips resided in the lateral hypothalamus (feeding center) exhibited a significantly increased volume of secretion and acid output during periods of electrical stimulation. These results are consistent with a sharply localized control system within the hypothalamus for both food intake and gastric secretion with a gastric response which is appropriate to the feeding behavior occurring after either lesions or electrical stimulation.