Recovery of weight regulation following ablation of frontal cortex in rats

Recovery of a postoperative weight loss following bilateral ablations of frontal cortex in rats was quicker when food pellets were scattered on the cage floor than when pellets were available only in attached food hoppers. Food deprivation prior to surgery facilitated recovery when food was scattered on the cage floor after surgery. Successive stage surgery also facilitated recovery. Despite and facilitative influences on recovery from the initial postoperative weight loss, all frontal rats showed a temporary weight loss 4–5 weeks after surgery if food previously available on the cage floor was removed (food remained in the hoppers). The results indicated that time per se after surgery and postoperative experience had different roles in recovery of function following brain damage.