Osmoregulatory thirst in rats after lateral preoptic lesions.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Lesions of the lateral preoptic area in rats abolished water ingestion during a 4-h test following an i.p. injection of hypertonic NaCl solution. These animals increased their water intake intakes when tests were prolonged to 24 h and drank almost exactly what they needed for osmoregulation. They also increased their water intakes normally when NaCl was given in their diet, when NaCl was administered i.v. or when they were water deprived and given preloads of isotonic saline to remove hypovolemia. Rats with lateral preoptic lesions experience osmoregulatory thirst; the theory that osmoreceptors located in the lateral preoptic area mediate thirst following the administration of osmotic loads was questioned.