Abstract
Balloons were implanted at the junction of the superior vena cava and right atrium of the rat. Inflation of the balloon stretched the vein‐atrial junction but did not cause a change in either arterial or central venous blood pressure. Inflating the balloon attenuated spontaneous night‐time water intake and the drinking responses to 24 h water deprivation and subcutaneous (s.c.) isoprenaline (10 micrograms/kg body wt.). Water intake after I.P. hyperoncotic colloid (polyethylene glycol 20 M) was virtually abolished when the balloon was inflated immediately before giving access to water (4 h after injection). Inflating the balloon had no effect on drinking following I.V. hypertonic saline (5 ml 2M‐NaCl/kg body wt.). These results support the hypothesis that volume receptors on the right side of the heart are involved in controlling water intake.

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