Polydipsia in the hen following lesions in the supraoptic hypothalamus

¹ Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland

Ablation of the supraoptic region of the hen's hypothalamus by electrolytic lesions resulted in polydipsia in a number of birds. Rates of water consumption were increased, following lesions, by two to three times the initial rate. Although not all hens sustaining lesions in the supraoptic region exhibited polydipsia, lesions elsewhere in the anteroventral hypothalamus uniformly failed to cause increased water consumption.