The effects of reversible lidocaine-induced lesion of the tissue surrounding the anterior ventral wall of the third ventricle on drinking in rats.

The local anesthetic lidocaine (XILOCAINA), 2%, was injected into the tissue surrounding the anterior region of the third cerebral ventricle (AV3V) of the rat, through a permanently implanted cannula, to produce a temporary and reversible disruption of the nervous connections of this area with other cellular nuclei while leaving the vascular connections intact. Following 24 h water deprivation, lidocaine was injected, and after 20 min water intake decreased; subsequently, the lidocaine-injected rats behaved similarly to control rats injected with artificial cerebrospinal fluid. Osmotic drinking was not affected. Prolonged adipsia or hyperdipsia did not occur. In nondeprived rats, lidocaine prevented angiotensin II-induced drinking. Following 24 h sodium depletion by peritoneal dialysis, lidocaine decreased the specific sodium appetite by 50% in animals with different levels of body sodium depletion. The data indicate that the integrity of the neural tissue of the AV3V is essential for a correct body water-salt regulation. Temporary "ablation" with lidocaine, which blocked neural activity but maintained the blood supply, produced responses different from most of those reported after electrolytic lesions. Therefore, lidocaine may be used as a tool to assess the response of this neural tissue to body fluid regulation.