Increased neuropeptide Y concentrations in the lateral hypothalamic area of the rat after the onset of darkness: possible relevance to the circadian periodicity of feeding behavior

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a major hypothalamic peptide which powerfully stimulates feeding when injected into the hypothalamus and is implicated in circadian rhythmicity. To investigate whether NPY is involved in the increased feeding that follows the onset of darkness in rats, NPY levels were measured in discrete hypothalamic areas before and after darkness. Four groups of eight adult female Wistar rats were habituated to a 12:12 hour light:dark cycle, with food presented at the onset of darkness (19.00 hours). One group was sacrificed during the 3 hours before darkness and another in the first 2.5 hours after darkness, with food provided as usual. To distinguish any effects of feeding itself, the study was repeated with two further groups, but food was not provided after darkness. Seven hypothalamic regions were microdissected from slices of fresh brain and acid-extracted for radioimmunoassay of NPY. NPY levels (fmol/microgram protein) were significantly higher (p less than 0.01) in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) of the dark-phase group in both studies. In the other six regions, NPY levels did not differ between light and dark phases. The LHA regulates the circadian rhythmicity of feeding and NPY injection here stimulates feeding. Alterations in NPY in the LHA around the onset of darkness may be related to the initiation of dark-phase feeding.