Effect of different feeding schedules on food intake in caudate lesioned rats.

Inbred albino rats were exposed to different feeding schedules before and after caudate nucleus lesions. The animals show adaptation to the new patterns of food deprivation even after caudate nucleus lesions. However, the lesioned animals are not able to elevate their food intake or body weight to the prelesion levels. These findings suggest that feeding, satiety and body weight mechanisms are disturbed in the absence of intact caudate nucleus, possibly due to removal of nigro-striatal dopamine influence.