Physiology & behavior
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Physiology & behavior · Mar 2002
Effect of the 5-HT(1A) receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT on food and water intake in chickens.
The effects of the 5-HT(1A) receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT on food and water intake in 16-week-old male chickens were investigated. Injection of 25 or 50 microg/kg of 8-OH-DPAT 15 min before refeeding starved animals (starved-refed) produced a decrease in food intake 1 h after the start of refeeding. No effect was observed in water intake. ⋯ The results show that the effect on food intake of the agonist 8-OH-DPAT in chickens was similar to that observed in mammals. Also, the results show that the agonist-induced increase in water intake may act via a different mechanism. The results show that the 8-OH-DPAT, as in mammals, has a complex effect on food and water intake in chickens and that further works need to be carried out to understand the mechanisms involved in the food and water intake using different animal models.