Asymmetry in the effects of unilateral 6-OHDA lesions on eating and drinking evoked by hypothalamic stimulation

The present experiment investigated the effects of unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the caudate nucleus and nucleus accumbens on eating and drinking evoked by electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus (ESLH). Lesions were made on either the 'dominant' or 'non-dominant' hemisphere as defined by an amphetamine-rotation test. We report here that lesions of the 'dominant hemisphere' were significantly more effective in disrupting ESLH-evoked behavior as well as producing longer-lasting deficits in somatosensory responsiveness as measured by the 'tactile extinction test'.