Stimulation of gastric acid secretion by microinjection of pentobarbital into the ventromedial hypothalamus.

Sites of stimulatory action of pentobarbital on gastric acid secretion were studied in rats anesthetized with urethane. Intracerebroventricular injection of pentobarbital dose-dependently stimulated gastric secretion. When injections of pentobarbital into the ventromedial hypothalamus were repeated with an interval of 30 min, the second and third consecutive injections produced a small but significant increase in gastric acid secretion. We propose that the ventromedial hypothalamus is involved in the stimulatory effect of pentobarbital on gastric acid secretion.