Imagine That Feeding Behavior Was Eliminated When a Radio-Frequency Lesion

Multiple Choice

Imagine that feeding behavior was eliminated when a radio-frequency lesion was used to damage the lateral hypothalamus of a rat, which suggested that cells within this region initiate feeding. If a subsequent study failed to observe a change in feeding after injection of kainic acid into the lateral hypothalamus, what conclusion would be appropriate?

A) Glial cells within the lateral hypothalamus are key for the control of eating.
B) The changes in eating noted in the first study are due to fibers that are passing through the lateral hypothalamus.
C) The changes in eating are due to damage to cell bodies within the lateral hypothalamus, and these act to initiate eating.
D) The lateral hypothalamus functions to inhibit eating.
E) The investigator should have chosen a different inhibitory amino acid.