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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans
Published on: March 19, 2014
The effects of feeding and fasting on self-stimulation
Abstract:
The effects of ad libitum feeding and 72 hr fasting on intracranial electrical self-stimulation behaviour (ICSS) were tested in cats. In contrast to previous studies it was found that the opposite manipulations in food intake, i.e. ad libitum feeding fasting, often induced identical changes in lever-pressing rate even in cases of lateral hypothalamic self-stimulation. Both increase and decrease in lever-pressing rate for ICSS could be observed depending rather on the electrically elicited behaviours than the precise anatomical location of the stimulating electrodes. It is concluded that changes in ICSS induced by food intake and food deprivation are probably secondary to the changes in activity level.
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