AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 244, Issue 4 577-R587, Copyright © 1983 by American Physiological Society
Effects of area postrema/caudal medial nucleus of solitary tract lesions on food intake and body weight
T. M. Hyde and R. R. Miselis
Lesions of the area postrema/caudal medial nucleus of the solitary tract
(AP/cmNTS), located on the surface of the dorsal medulla of the rat, cause
a transient syndrome of hypophagia and body weight loss, with the
establishment of a new growth curve at a lower body weight set point. The
regulatory responses to prolonged food deprivation, glucoprivic
stimulation, and chronic access to a palatable diet are left largely
intact. However, there is an overconsumption of highly palatable foods
during acute exposure to supermarket and high-fat diets. Intestinal transit
and gastric retention are unaffected by the lesion, indicating normal motor
function within the gastrointestinal system. The hypophagia and chronic
depression of body weight by the AP/cmNTS lesion demonstrate that this area
is an important part of the larger neurocircuitry subserving feeding
behavior and energy balance.
