Schedule-induced polydipsia: Effect of water temperature, ambient temperature, and hypothalamic cooling.

Conducted 3 polydipsia experiments with a total of 26 female Sprague-Dawley rats, 6 of which were implanted with thermodes and thermistors and 2 of which were implanted with thermistors alone in the medial preoptic area or posterior hypothalamus. A cold (5.C) ambient temperature reduced the amount of water consumed by food-deprived Ss tested with a VI schedule of reinforcement, while a warm (30.C) ambient increased water intake. Response rate in the cold was twice that in a neutral temperature. A hot (38.C) ambient suppressed the rate of responding and drinking. Cooling the hypothalamus substantially reduced water intake in a neutral ambient temperature. Ambient temperature affected the volume of a drink but not the frequency of drinking, while hypothalamic cooling affected both volume and frequency. Water temperature had little effect on polydipsia although less cold water was consumed than warm water. It is concluded that schedule-induced polydipsia is a temperature-dependent phenomenon. (39 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)