Ingestive behavior evoked by hypothalamic stimulation and schedule-induced polydipsia are related.

Some, but not all, rats eat or drink in response to electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus. Similarly, some, but not all, rats given food intermittently display schedule-induced polydipsia. In this experiment, animals that ate or drank during electrical stimulation tended also to be those displaying polydipsia. Thus, individual differences in predisposition to engage in ingestive behavior are consistent under two very different conditions.