Striatal influence on ingestive behaviour in the cat

In freely moving cats with chronically implanted electrodes an analysis was made of the effects on feeding behaviour of low-frequency long-duration stimulation of the caudate nucleus, the substantia nigra and the globus pallidus. In all 3 structures a significant reduction of food intake was observed and in the pallidus this reached the point of a complete block of feeding. The effects were always limited to the period of stimulation. At the end of stimulation the animals recovered and took in food quantities equal to those of controls. The results are interpreted on the basis of reciprocal connections between the basal ganglia and the hypothalamus; the role of the striatum on the selection of certain movements and its possible involvement in behaviour is also discussed.