Differential roles of two distinct groups of subcortical nuclei on ingestive behavior in rat

It is believed that the limbic influence on ingestive behaviour might be mediated via the hypothalamic centres. This study was carried out to test the hypothesis that amygdaloid centres control the ingestion by affective nature of food and hypothalamic nuclei by quantitative intake, by taste preference studies, food intake, total fluid intake and body weight changes in Wistar albino rats. There was an increase in the intake of sweet tasting Saccharin (Sn) solution after the lesion of Basolateral Amygdaloid nucleus (BLA) apart from increases in food intake. The ingestions also increased after the lesions in ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). The change persisted in both sequentially lesioned groups Viz. BLA+VMH and VMH +BLA. The increased intake after BLA lesion, registered a further increase on lesion of VMH in the same animal. Hence, (i) BLA was probably concerned with the modulation of ingestive behaviour by influencing the taste qualities and affective nature of the ingested food; (ii) The VMH was concerned mainly with the quantitative aspects of ingestive activities. However, BLA and VMH both individually affect the ingestive behaviour.