title: Diazepam facilitates stimulation-induced feeding in rats.
abstract: The effect of diazepam on the trade-off function between current and frequency for stimulation-induced feeding was evaluated in five rats with electrodes implanted in medial forebrain bundle structures. Three of the five exhibited stimulation-induced feeding (SIF) in vehicle tests, while in the remaining two attention to food was interspersed with periods of high activity. In all cases diazepam facilitated stimulation-induced feeding; the expression of stimulation-induced feeding was observed at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg and 5.0 mg/kg, where tested, and frequency threshold shifts ranged from 10% to 25%. The degree of facilitation was consistent across currents in two of the four pairs of trade-off functions examined. The results suggest that diazepam can facilitate stimulation-induced feeding and its expression in feeding sites with a competing arousal component.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bielajew
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bushnik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D008297:Male; D008474:Medial Forebrain Bundle / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D003975:Diazepam