Role of activation and sensory stimuli in recovery from lateral hypothalamic damage in the cat.

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Abstract
The early stages of recovery from lateral hypothalamic lesions were analyzed in 30 adult cats. In addition to aphagia and adipsia, neurological examination revealed deficits suggestive of deficient endogenous arousal, including somnolence, catalepsy, akinesia and sensory neglect. Manipulations (tail pinch and injection of amphetamine) that counteracted these deficits also restored feeding. During recovery from aphagia, feeding gradually became activated by sensory stimuli (sight, feel and smell) associated with food. Activation is apparently an important component in the control of normal feeding.