Gastric pathology and aphagia following lateral hypothalamic lesions in rats: effects of preoperative weight...

The body weights of male albino rats were reduced gradually to 80% of normal body weight by resricting food intake (dieting), and then the rats were given lateral hypothalamic (LH) lesions. Compared with rats of normal body weight sustaining similar brain lesions, the dieted group displayed a shorter period of postoperative aphagia and less gastric pathology. In a second experiment, a group of rats was reduced to 80% of normal body weight by withholding all food (fasting) and then given LH lesions. Compared with dieted rats sustaining similar brain damage, the fasted group displayed a longer period of post operative aphagia and greater gastric pathology. Since the duration of aphagia could be shortened or lengthened by simple manipulations of preoperative body weight, the adequacy of sensorimotor or motivational hypotheses to account for aphagia is questioned. The results are more consistent with the suggestion that gastric abnormalities produced by LH lesions inhibit eating.