Hypoglycemia and Increased Insulin Sensitivity Following Hypothalamic Lesions.

Abstract

An occasional demonstrable fall in the blood sugar level, in the dog, following traumatic transverse lesions in the hypothalamus at the level of the optic chiasm was observed by us1 (see 1, Fig. la). Later profound hypoglycemic crises were encountered, also occasionally, when the ventral third or half of the hypothalamus was severed free by a sweeping semicircular cut made with a small blunt instrument2 (see 2, Fig. la). Subsequently Ingram and Barris described persistent mild hypoglycemia and increased insulin sensitivity following bilateral lesions placed in the region of the paraventricular nuclei in the cat.3The question as to the mechanism involved in the precipitation of hypoglycemia, particularly the crises, has attracted our active attention. Below are interpretations drawn from the results obtained thus far in the investigation. The results pertain to experiments on a large series of dogs.The possibility of the hypothalamic lesions eliminating a normally tonic descending innervation (brainstem) i...