Action of the lateral hypothalamic area on subfornical organ neurons projecting to the supraoptic nucleus in the rat.

The activity of all subfornical organ neurons (N = 20) that were antidromically identified by electrical stimulation of the rat hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus region was excited by microiontophoretically applied angiotensin II. Electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamic area produced either an excitatory response (N = 12) or no effect (N = 8) in the activity of identified subfornical organ neurons. The excitatory responses to iontophoretically applied angiotensin II or stimulation of the lateral hypothalamic area were blocked by iontophoretically applied saralasin, an antagonist of angiotensin II.