Integrated lateral hypothalamic neural responses to natural and artificial rewards and cue signals in the rat.

Effects of natural and intracranial electrical rewarding stimuli and cue signals were investigated while recording from single neurons in the rat lateral hypothalamus. The rat obtained both rewards using identical behavior, viz. licking. When both rewarding stimuli influenced a neuron, the responses were usually similar, i.e. both excitatory or both inhibitory. Only neurons that responded to either or both rewards acquired responses to tone cues, and these acquired responses were in the same direction as reward responses. The data indicate that the same single neuron in the lateral hypothalamus might be implicated in reward processes and learning.