Effect of intraventricular injection of muscimol on appetite in rats kept at high and temperate ambient temperatures

The central mechanism controlling food intake in response to the change in environmental temperature has been little examined. The GABA agonist, muscimol, was injected into the lateral ventricle of rats which were acclimated to temperate (26 degrees C) and hot (33 degrees C) environments. Muscimol obviously stimulated the feeding behavior of rats in both environments. However, when muscimol was administered at doses of 100 and 250 ng, the food intake at 26 degrees C was greater than that at 33 degrees C. In addition, the stimulating effect of muscimol (250 ng) on food intake at 26 degrees C lasted longer than that at 33 degrees C. These findings suggested that there might be a difference in muscimol metabolism at the two temperatures.