[Comparison of the effects of anosmia induced by either peripheral lesion or bulbectomy upon the feeding pattern of the rat (author's transl)].

In order to support the contention that the feeding pattern seen after olfactory bulb removal is due to a sensory loss, the feeding pattern of rats was studied after a peripheral chemical lesion of the olfactory mucosa. A conditioned smell aversion procedure was used to assess the occurence and duration of anosmia after the topical application of zinc sulfate to the olfactory mucosa. It was found that the sensory deficit induced by the peripheral lesion lasted from four to six days. The occurrence of the disrupted feeding pattern in the peripherally lesioned rats coincided in time with the short period of anosmia. Thus, the disruption of the feeding pattern after bulbectomy and after lesions of the central olfactory pathways is clearly the result of anosmia and not of the loss of other non-sensory functions of the olfactory bulbs.