Hypothalamic regulation of sodium-potassium pump activity in skeletal muscle

The suppression of active Na+-K+ transport in rat skeletal muscle during hypokalemia was counteracted by bilateral electrolytic lesion of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus. This reversal effect was unaffected even after pancreatectomy or adrenalectomy. The anomalous electrolyte content in hypokalemic rat muscles was aggravated by lesion of the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus and of the anterior hypothalamus. The results indicate that the hypothalamus is involved in the regulation of the Na+-K+ transport system in skeletal muscle during hypokalemia.