Energy balance and hypothalamic self-stimulation |
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Authors: | D.M. Atrens M.P. Williams C.J. Brady G.E. Hunt |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, N.S.W. Australia;2. Deaprtment of Psychiatry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, N.S.W. Australia |
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Abstract: | The effects of negative energy balance on self-stimulation are a matter of considerable disagreement. This disagreement undoubtedly reflects the inadequacies of the continuous reinforcement self-stimulation procedures used in this type of experimentation. The present experiment uses a new fixed-interval reinforcement shuttle-box procedure which provides indices of reward and stimulation escape that are free from the numerous performance altering effects that confound continuous reinforcement performance.Whereas 24 h of food deprivation had no effect on stimulation initiation or escape rates, 48 h of food deprivation selectively increased initiation rates. The enhancement of reward was seen over virtually the entire anterior-posterior extent of the lateral hypothalamus and occurred irrespective of the occurrence of any stimulus-bound behaviors. Thus negative energy balance appears to selectively increase the excitability of reward-related neurons in the lateral hypothalamus.The self-stimulating rats became clearly hyperphagic, yet their weight gains were not significantly different from those of controls. The self-stimulation must, therefore, have greatly increased energy expenditure. Thus, not only does energy balance affect self-stimulation, but self-stimulation appears to affect energy balance. |
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Keywords: | energy balance self-stimulation hypothalamus rat |
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