Disturbance of meal patterning following nucleus accumbens lesions in the rat

In this study, we examined the effects of electrolytic lesions of the nucleus accumbens which had no obvious effect on body weight, or on the short term intake of solid food, sucrose and salt solutions. However in 24 h records of feeding and drinking lesioned animals took many more meals of shorter duration. Challenge with the dopamine D2 antagonist YM-09151-2 resulted in a decrease in feeding rate, together with a facilitation of meal size in drinking, in both control and lesioned subjects.