Hyperinsulinemia in rats with obesity-inducing amygdaloid lesions.

Electrolytic lesions of the posterodorsal aspects of the medial division of the extended amygdala in female rats result in hyperphagia and excessive weight gain. In the present study, the effects of such lesions on plasma insulin, glucose, corticosterone, and adrenocorticotropic hormone were assessed during a period of food restriction and again after a 15-day period of food ad libitum. Compared with control animals, the rats with amygdaloid lesions were hyperinsulinemic under both conditions and gained substantially more weight when fed ad libitum. No difference between groups was observed for the other hormones. It is concluded that damage to the posterodorsal aspects of the medial amygdala results in a primary metabolic dysfunction that accounts, at least in part, for the overeating and excessive weight gain.