Amygdaloid-tension hyperphagia: impaired response to caloric challenges and altered macronutrient selection

Lesions of the most posterodorsal aspects of the amygdalia in female rats cause hyperphagia and moderate obesity. Rats with amygdaloid lesions did not increase their daily food consumption whn their powdered diet was diluted with 25 or 50% nonnutritive bulk. Findings, when taken into account with the previous observation that identical lesions cause hyperinsulinemia, show that the amygdala is involved in both the homeostatic regulation of food intake and the choice of macronutrients.