Is a Functional Cerebral Cortex Required for Thirst?
The research summarized to this point indicates most strongly that normal functioning by some structures in the hypothalamus is essential if thirst is to be experienced and that experimental stimulation of those structures evokes thirst. It also appears highly likely that the water-seeking behavioural patterns elicited in animals by stimulation of the appropriate hypothalamic structures provide an accurate indication that the subject is actually experiencing thirst. The conclusion that an intact hypothalamus is required for thirst appears inescapably: the question is whether it is also sufficient. Phrased differently, what other parts of the brain must also be functioning normally if thirst is to occur? “Two separate but related mechanisms are involved in this regulation: a perception of the need for water (thirst) and the physical action of acquiring it.”14 It is necessary to draw a distinction between those parts of the brain, additional to the hypothalamus and its associated structu
