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Lateral hypothalamus and sympathetic firing rate
T Sakaguchi1, M Takahashi, G A Bray
1Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90033.
The American Journal of Physiology
|September 1, 1988
Summary
Lesioning the lateral hypothalamus (LH) increases sympathetic nerve activity, impacting brown adipose tissue. Glucose and insulin showed minimal effects on this sympathetic response in the LH.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
- Metabolism
Background:
- The lateral hypothalamus (LH) plays a crucial role in regulating energy balance and autonomic functions.
- Sympathetic nervous system activity is vital for thermogenesis, particularly in brown adipose tissue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of glucose and insulin on sympathetic firing rate within the LH.
- To determine the effects of LH ablation on sympathetic nerve activity and body weight.
Main Methods:
- Microinjections of glucose and insulin into the LH of rats.
- Bilateral LH lesions induced using gold thioglucose.
- Measurement of efferent sympathetic nerve firing rates to interscapular brown adipose tissue.
- Monitoring of body weight changes.
Main Results:
- Glucose microinjection into the LH caused a dose-dependent reduction in sympathetic firing rate.
- Insulin microinjection into the LH resulted in a transient increase in sympathetic firing rate.
- LH lesions led to decreased body weight and significantly increased basal sympathetic firing rate at multiple time points post-lesion.
Conclusions:
- LH lesions enhance sympathetic activity, suggesting a role in sympathetic regulation.
- Glucose and insulin exhibit limited modulation of sympathetic activity within the LH compared to lesion effects.