Identical "Feeding" and "Rewarding" Systems in the Lateral Hypothalamus of Rats

Abstract

Electrodes were implanted in the lateral hypothalamic feeding system; animals were subjected to both feeding and motivational tests. All animals that demonstrated stimulus-bound feeding behavior also showed high self-stimulation rates. As it was impossible to produce the feeding response without simultaneously producing the rewarding effect of hypothalamic stimulation, it was concluded that the feeding system of the lateral hypothalamus is one among a larger group of places where stimulation causes primary rewarding effects. With electrodes in these same areas, food deprivation often caused a major increment in the self-stimulation rate.

Eating and electroencephalographic activity following orbital frontal stimulation in rats

“…First, lesions of orbital frontal cortex produce acute aphagia and adipsia and chronic weight loss accompanied or resulting from disabilities in oral manipulatory movement used for eating and drinking (Kolb & Nonneman, 1975). Second, self-stimulation has been obtained from the orbital frontal cortex (Mora, 1978;Rolls & Cooper, 1974) as well as from other brain areas that produce electrically elicited eating (Margules & Olds, 1962). Third, many types of brain damage producing aphagia and adipsia typically also destroy cells, fibers, or terminals of dopamine systems (Marshall, Richardson, & Teitelbaum, 1974;Ungerstedt, 1971).…”

“…Although there are important differences between the effects of lesions to the orbital frontal cortex and the lateral hypothalamic nucleus on feeding and drinking (see Whishaw et al, in press, for details), there are sufficient similarities to suggest that each makes an important contribution to the organization of feeding behavior (Kolb, Nonneman, & Whishaw, 1978;Kolb, Whishaw, & Schallert, 1977; Whishaw, Schallert, & Kolb, in press). Although it is well known that stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus induces eating and drinking in rats (e.g_ Hoebel & Teitelbaum, 1962;Margules & Olds, 1962), there have been no reports of these behaviors with electrical stimulation of the orbital frontal cortex. If the orbital frontal cortex and the hypothalamus do indeed form an interrelated circuit involved in feeding, one might expect feeding to be elicited from stimulation of the orbital frontal cortex but not from stimulation of adjacent cortical regions (such as the medial frontal cortex), which have not been implicated in feeding behavior (Kolb, 1974)_ On the other hand, stimulation of the orbital frontal cortex has been shown to suppress locomotor activity in rats (Wilcott, 1979), so that one could also predict suppression of eating as part of a lowering of general activation following orbital frontal stimulation.…”

Modulation of food reward by adiposity signals

“…Self-stimulation within certain lateral hypothalamic sites induces an eating response, and selfstimulation-induced feeding is augmented with food restriction (15). Likewise, the ability of food to condition a place preference, or self-administration of food, is increased with food deprivation (16)(17)(18)(19)(20).…”

Lateral hypothalamic reward decreased by intragastric feeding: Self-determined “threshold” technique

“…Self-stimulation increases during food deprivation (Margules & Olds, 1962;Wilkinson & Peele, 1962), and decreases following intragastric feeding (Hoebel & Teitelbaum, 1962). In these studies response frequency was used as the measure of reward.…”