Electrical activity of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus

Abstract

The spontaneous electrical activity of the ventromedial nucleus was studied in the cat under pentobarbital anesthesia and in the unanesthetized, unrestrained state. Under light pentobarbital anesthesia the activity of the nucleus is characterized by a predominant 9–15 cps, 50–100 µv component which is uniform from second to second. With small additional doses of anesthesia there is a selective depression of this activity; with recovery from light anesthesia this activity is gradually replaced by irregular, large, slow waves characteristic of sleep. When the unanesthetized animal is aroused 20–35 cps activity having an amplitude of 40 µv or more appears in the nucleus. While the pattern of activity during sleep resembles that seen elsewhere in the hypothalamus, the activity seen during barbiturate anesthesia and during arousal is confined to the nucleus and not seen in other parts of the diencephalon.