Effect of fourth ventricular neuropeptide Y and peptide YY on ingestive and other behaviors.

We studied the effect of fourth intracerebroventricular administration of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and peptide YY (PYY) on ingestive and other behaviors in awake nondeprived rats. Injection of NPY or PYY into the fourth ventricle produced a significant dose-related increase in food intake and reduction in the latency to eat. PYY was more potent than NPY in increasing food intake and decreasing latency to eat, suggesting that PYY-preferring receptors sensitive to the orexigenic effects of NPY and PYY exist in the hindbrain. In addition, both peptides increased water intake when food was present but not when food was absent, suggesting that a neural substrate supporting a direct action of NPY and PYY on water intake is not present in the hindbrain. In time sampling of behaviors occurring during a 90-min feeding test, we found that both peptides increased the time spent eating and reduced grooming. In addition PYY, but not NPY, reduced apparent sleep and increased exploratory activity. This suggests that PYY, but not NPY, influences a hindbrain neural substrate involved in sleep and activity.