Locus coeruleus modulation of dorsal horn unit responses to cutaneous stimulation

A single injection of N,N′-bis(β-chloroethyl)-4,4′-bipiperidine (BPM) into 30-day old rats produced brain lesions in the ventromedial hypothalamus, the dorsal vagal complex (dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and nucleus of the solitary tract), and the medial septum. The brain lesions were associated with a chronic increase in the rate of body weight gain and the development of obesity. The lesions are similar to those seen in mice following BPM or gold thioglucose administration, however, the development of the obesity in the rat follows a more protracted time course.