MALE rats were injected with 6-hydroxydopamine in the lateral hypothalamus and tested for ingestive behavior starting on the day after the injection. The rats did not eat food pellets but readily ingested an intraorally infused nutritive solution. If given three daily intraoral infusions, 6-hydroxydopamine-treated rats defended their body weight and were as sensitive to the inhibitory effect of cholecystokinin octapeptide on intake as controls. Dopamine was reduced by 94% in the dorsal striatum five days after the 6-hydroxydopamine injection. Noradrenaline and serotonin were less markedly affected. Thus, while appetitive ingestive behavior is disrupted, consummatory ingestive behavior and body weight regulatory competence are only marginally affected by massive damage to forebrain dopamine neural networks