Abstract: | Intracranial self-stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus in 5 male Sprague-Dawley rats was markedly increased by subcutaneous dextroamphetamine administration and by food deprivation. In contrast, similar self-stimulation response rates obtained in the same Ss from the medial frontal cortex were unaffected by food deprivation and only slightly increased by dextroamphetamine administration. Furthermore, a large difference between dextro- vs levoamphetamine on response rate was obtained for lateral hypothalamic but not for medial frontal cortex self-stimulation. Results are consistent with a noradrenergic self-stimulation system for the lateral hypothalamus. Medial frontal cortex self-stimulation, however, appears to be mediated by a neuroanatomical and neurochemical system different from that of the lateral hypothalamus. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |