Hyperphagia and obesity following serotonin depletion by intraventricular p-chlorophenylalanine.
Loss of brain serotonin was associated with overeating and increased body weight. Rats injected with p-chlorophenylalanine intraventricularly began overeating after 3 days and continued to display marked hyperphagia, primarily in the daytime, accompanied by increased body weight for 1 to 2 weeks. The effect was related to drug dose and to the degree and duration of serotonin depletion. Norepinephrine and dopamine levels were not significantly affected. It is concluded that p-chlorophenylalanine disinhibits feeding, as it does a number of other behaviors, by depleting serotonin. This suggests that hypothalamic lesions or dietary deficiencies which selectively and sufficiently deplete serotonin would lead to overeating.
D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002369:Castration; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D010134:Fenclonine / Q000494:pharmacology; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000032:analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000139:chemically induced*; D051381:Rats; D012701:Serotonin / Q000032:analysis / Q000172:deficiency*
D012701:Serotonin; D010134:Fenclonine; D009638:Norepinephrine