Summary
-
1.
Toads maintained in fresh water and submitted periodically to careful manipulation showed higher urine production than water uptake, and body weight loss.
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2.
After complete removal of the ADH (antidiuretic hormone) secreting system, animals developed polyuria without changes in water uptake, and extreme body weight loss.
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3.
Small lesions of the midbrain midtegmental area caused a stable and copious intake of water across the skin, polyuria, negative water balance and body weight loss. A similar but temporary increase in water uptake, combined with oliguria, and a gain of body weight was observed during the reversible coma induced by blocking the same region of the midbrain with a microinjection of 3 M KCl, in both normal and hypophysectomized toads.
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4.
General anesthesia with urethan reproduced closely the picture of polyuria and high water intake due to midbrain lesion in normal as well as in hypophysectomized animals.
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5.
We postulate an extrahypophyseal nervous mechanism that controls the influx of water across the skin and urine production in the toad, with its focus in the midbrain midtegmental area.
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Abbreviations
- BW :
-
body weight
- SW :
-
standard weight
- S :
-
sham operated
- HR :
-
totally hypophysectomized, postchiasmatic sectioned, infundibulum lesioned
- T :
-
midbrain midtegmental lesions
- HRT :
-
totally hypophysectomized, postchiasmatic sectioned infundibulum and midbrain midtegmental lesion
- FB :
-
forebrain lesioned
- P :
-
spinal cord destroyed
- Cc :
-
closed cloaca
- Uc :
-
ureter cannulated
- AOV :
-
analysis of variance
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This work was supported by a grant from the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Técnicas
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Segura, E.T., Bandsholm, U.C., Bronstein, A. et al. Role of the CNS in the control of the water economy of the toadBufo arenarum Hensel. J Comp Physiol B 146, 95–100 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00688721
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00688721