Neural correlates of food and water intake in the rat.

Adrenergic and cholinergic stimulation of several interrelated limbic and diencephalic areas causes the animal to eat and drink, respectively. The brain areas involved may be organized in terms of "Papez circuit" and, more generally, " Nauta circuit" neuroanatomy. However, it is proposed that separate synaptic nets, one for the control of hunger and one for the control of thirst, are deployed throughout the brain at all levels, including neocortical.