A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF HYPOTHALAMIC LESIONS ON THE EATING HABITS OF THE ALBINO RAT

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Abstract
The time of eating and the amt. of food habitually consumed during 1 eating period were detd. in rats before and after hypothalamic lesions had been made which resulted in obesity. Rats which were becoming obese showed an increase in avg. meal size. Unlike normal rats these animals ate more food during the day than during the night. The abnormality in appetite which resulted in hyper -phagia appeared immediately after the hypothalamic lesions were made. There was a gradual waning of the intensity of this hyperphagia as the static phase of obesity developed. Reduction in the size of the stomach did not prevent development of obesity. The rats ate smaller meals but ate more frequently. Bilateral vagotomy resulted in a greater variation in time of eating and meal size than observed in normal and obese animals with intact vagi. Studies of the effect of vagotomy on appetite and the development of obesity gave inconclusive results.

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