The goal of our proposed research is the ascertainment of those properties of the ventromedial region of the hypothalamus through which this region exerts its influence on the adjustment of food intake to fluctuating energy expenditure; the result is that when the animal feeds spontaneously weight is maintained within narrow limits. The recognition of the importance of the ventromedial hypothalamus in the regulation of food intake makes available a rational approach to the problems of weight control and obesity. We have found that the center responds to inhibitors of glucose transport, to insulin and to hormones of the adrenal cortex and pituitary. We have found that the influence of these factors on the ventromedial hypothalamus and on feeding behavior are reflected in the susceptibility or resistance of specific glucoreceptor cells of this region of the brain to gold thioglucose-induced necrosis. The specificity of gold thioglucose interaction with the glucoreceptor cells of the ventromedial hypothalamus permits us to investigate the factors that influence glucoreceptor activity and the effects of altered activity of these cells on food intake and metabolic processes.