Lesions of the subfornical organ decrease the calcium appetite of calcium-deprived rats.
There are several indications that neurons in the rat's subfornical organ (SFO) are sensitive to internal calcium status. We investigated the role of the SFO in regulating calcium intake by comparing the consumption of 30 mM CaCl2 by rats with (a) lesions of >90% of the SFO, (b) lesions that left the SFO mostly intact but disconnected its rostroventral stalk, (c) misplaced lesions that spared most of the SFO, or (d) a sham lesion procedure. In one experiment involving calcium-replete rats, these four groups had similar CaCl2 intakes. In another experiment involving calcium-deprived rats, those with lesions of the SFO or its rostroventral stalk consumed less CaCl2 than did those with missed or sham lesions. The SFO therefore appears to play a role in the calcium appetite that accompanies calcium deprivation in rats, most likely through its rostroventral efferents, but it is not important for need-free calcium intake.
McCaughey
Stuart A
SA
Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3308, USA. mccaughey@monell.org
Fitts
Douglas A
DA
Tordoff
Michael G
MG
D000818:Animals; D001066:Appetite / Q000502:physiology*; D001069:Appetite Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D002118:Calcium / Q000172:deficiency*; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000378:metabolism*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013356:Subfornical Organ / Q000502:physiology*
D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D002118:Calcium