In the present study, the relations between acidic and basic fibroblast growth factors (aFGF and bFGF, respectively), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and food intake were studied. When aFGF-, bFGF-, and PDGF-like activity in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was examined by bioassay, the activity of those factors significantly increased in postfeeding CSF, compared to prefeeding CSF. Injections of aFGF, bFGF, aFGF (synthetic amino-terminal peptide of aFGF), and PDGF into the third cerebral ventricle decreased food intake, and injections of anti-aFGF, anti-bFGF, and anti-aFGF antibodies into the lateral hypothalamus (LHA) increased food intake. The activity of LHA glucose-sensitive neurons was inhibited by electrophoretic application of aFGF. These results suggest that aFGF, bFGF and PDGF have in vivo physiological roles in the central nervous system, distinct from those as mitogens.