Abstract
A HUNGRY animal is considered to be in a state of high nervous irritability leading to a heightened level of sensory and motor excitation. As glycogen stores are depleted, blood glucose-levels decrease, circulating epinephrine rises and stimulates the reticular formation of the brain, which in turn produces cortical arousal and facilitation of motor and sensory activity, lowering the threshold for all external sensory stimuli1. A satiated animal, by contrast, is relaxed, disinterested in the outside world, sleepy, and consequently should have a high sensory threshold.
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BERG, H., PANGBORN, R., ROESSLER, E. et al. Influence of Hunger on Olfactory Acuity. Nature 197, 108 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/197108a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/197108a0
