Hunger induced changes in the noradrenaline and dopamine contents in various nuclei of the limbic system in rats.

Teh effect of 48 hr food deprivation on noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA) content in the dorsomedial, ventromedial and arcuate hypothalamic nuclei, in the anterior and posterior part of medial forebrain bundle, in the medial preoptic region, nucleus of diagonal band (septum), and in the central, medial and basal nuclei of the amygdaloid complex was investigated by radioenzymatic assay. It was found that starvation resulted in decreased NA and DA levels in arcuate and ventromedial nuclei, and increased DA content in the posterior medial forebrain bundle. A statistically insignificant increase of DA in the central amygdaloid nucl. was also observed.