The olfactory connections of the lateral hypothalamus in the rat, mouse and hamster

Abstract

The afferent olfactory connections of the lateral hypothalamus of the rat were studied by producing lesions of olfactory cortex and staining for degeneration by the method of Fink and Heimer ('67) and by electropysiological recording of responses to olfactory bulb shock and odor stimulation. Direct connections from olfactory areas were found only in a ventrolateral part of the medial forebrain bundle. In the posterior hypothalamus the olfactory fibers turned dorsally and terminated in a more medial area. The region from which strong olfactory responses could be recorded coincided with the path of degenerating axons. Lesions of the olfactory tuercle of hamsters and mice produced a similar restricted pattern of degeneration. Copyright © 1971 The Wistar Institute Press