other parts of the brain. this study shows how the dopaminergic pathway in the medulla oblongata may be manipulated in order to reduce the nauseating side-effects associated with so many dopamine-increasing drugs. continuing pathological studies the area postrema is also indicated in an insulin treatment against type 1 and type 2 diabetes. a particular mechanism, employed by the drug pramlintide, acts mainly on the area postrema and results in decreased glucagon secretion, which in turn slows down gastric emptying and the satiety effect. this targeting of the area postrema allows an improvement of glycaemic control without causing weight gain. since the drug acts on the area postrema, the doses must be titrated slowly to avoid inducing nausea in the patient. there are also studies still currently underway to determine the effect of ablation of the area postrema on hypertension and cardiovascular function. for example, studies in rats and rabbits indicate that angiotensin ii- dependent hypertension is abolished by lesioning of the area postrema. the mechanism for this physiological reaction is still not fully understood, but the area postrema's ability to regulate cardiovascular function presents a very interesting direction for neuroendocrinology.