General Activity and Food Intake Following Removal of the Hippocampus in Rats

뇌 해마를 제거한 흰쥐의 일반활동 및 음식물섭취

Nine male rats in which 90% or more of the hippocampal tissue was removed through a small hole made in the neocortex at the boundary between the parietal and the occipital lobes (hippocampal group), 3 male rats with similar neocortical damage alone (operated control group), and 9 normal control male rats (normal control group) were prepared. Their general activity was measured for 48 hours in an activity cage by recording the number of beams they interrupted. The amount of food and water intake was also checked simultaneously. Results obtained were as follows: 1. The general activity of the hippocampal group was 2 to 3 times as great as that of the operated control or the normal control group. 2. All of the 3 groups demonstrated clear-cut circadian variation of activity, the diurnal and the nocturnal activity being in the ratio 22 : 78. 3. The amount of food and water consumed by the hippocampal group did not differ significantly from that by the opperated control or the normal control group. In the course of the experiment which continued for 3 months the hippocampal group gained weight least among the 3 groups.