Hypothalamic map of stimulation current thresholds for inhibition of feeding in rats
Beltt, B.M.; Keesey, R.E.
American Journal of Physiology 229(4): 1124-1133
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9513 PMID: 1190326 Document Number: 85879
The rat hypothalamus was mapped to identify regions at which electrical stimulation caused the feeding behaviour of a hungry animal to be inhibited. At each inhibitory site a test was made of the minimum stimulation current necessary for inhibition of feeding. Inhibitory sites with the lowest current thresholds tended to form a discrete cluster in the lateral part of the ventromedial nucleus and the adjacent neuropil bordering it ventrolaterally. A few low thresholds were found in the anterior hypothalamic area. The higher thresholds formed an orderly ascending gradient radiating away from the ventromedial nucleus and its ventrolaterally situated anatomical projections. In areas related to ascending monoamine pathways, including the lateral hypothalamus, preoptic region and arcuate nucleus, as well as in the mammillary bodies, stimulation usually failed to suppress feeding behaviour. Implications bearing on neuroregulatory models of feeding behaviour are discussed.