DEHYDRATION ANOREXIA IN DECEREBRATE RATS

Hypertonic saline (HS) administered intraperitoneally reduced the inta ke of sucrose solution infused intraorally in tube-fed decerebrate rat s, as it did in control animals. Similarly, either intraperitoneal or intravenous HS markedly decreased the intake of laboratory chow by neu rologically intact control rats. These observations complement recent findings that lesions of putative osmoreceptors in the ventral diencep halon, which eliminate thirst and blunt pituitary secretion of vasopre ssin and oxytocin in response to HS in rats, have no apparent effect o n the HS-induced inhibition of food intake. Taken together they suppor t previous studies indicating an important role for the caudal brainst em in the central control of food intake and suggest that such brainst em control may also include the inhibition of food intake induced by a cute hyperosmolality.