Differential effect of ventro-medial amygdalar lesions on the ingestion of different foods.

The electrolytic lesions of the ventro-medial part of the amygdala in cats increased the cereal and milk intake and reduced the ingestion of meat. In consequence hyperphagia, hyperdipsia of milk and a significant increase of the total caloric intake developed only in cats fed cereal and milk. In cats fed milk and meat hyperdipsia and hypophagia, both of about 50 percent appeared, causing a small decrease of total caloric intake, and in cats receiving all kinds of food used in these experiments a similar depression in meat and increase in cereal and milk ingestion resulted only in a slight augmentation of caloric consumption. Thus, the ventro-medial amygdalar area controls the quality of the food ingested. It is suggested that the nutritional value of the protein component of the available solid food plays an important role. However, the intake of milk containing a high percentage of water seems to be independent of this regulation.