andy Abstract
The thalamus of unanesthetized unrestrained cats was explored stereotaxically for sites which when electrically stimulated will either give rise to attack, facilitate attack elicited from the hypothalamus, or suppress such attack. A quiet biting form of attack could be elicited from the medial portion of nucleus dorsalis medialis, the caudal portion of nucleus reuniens, the midline region of nucleus centralis medialis, and anterolateral portions of nucleus reticularis. Facilitation of hypothalamic attack also occurred with stimulation of these same sites. In addition, facilitation was observed from sites that did not give rise to attack. These include nucleus ventralis anterior, area subparafascicularis, and the paraventricular region medial to the nucleus parafascicularis. Suppression of attack was elicited by stimulation of sites which by themselves gave rise to retreat from discrete objects in the environment, or to “fear-like” responses. The areas whose excitation suppressed attack include anterolateral portion of the reticular nucleus, the region of the anterior thalamic radiations, the rostral portion of nucleus reuniens, nucleus interoanteromedialis, somewhat lateral portions of nucleus dorsalis medialis and posterior portions of centrum medianum. The responses seen by a number of previous investigators are also confirmed. Finally, the possible pathways mediating attack and its suppression are discussed. /// Im Thalamus frei beweglicher Katzen wurde stereotaktisch nach Orten gesucht, deren elektrische Reizung Angriff auslöst bzw. vom Hypothalamus angeregten Angriff bahnt oder unterdrückt. Ruhiges Zubeissen liess sich von der Mitte des nucleus dorsalis medialis, hinten vom n. reuniens, mitten vom n. centralis medialis, und seitlich vorn vom n. reticularis auslösen. Von den gleichen drei Orten aus liessen sich hypothalamisch angeregte Angriffe bahnen, ebenso auch von Orten, deren Reizung nicht unmittelbar Angriff auslöste, so vom n. ventralis anterior, der area subparafascicularis und dem paraventrikulären Gebiet nahe der Mitte des n. parafascicularis. Anderseits liess sich durch Reizung von Orten, deren Erregung fluchtartigen Rückzug vor bestimmten Objekten in der Umgebung auslöste, Angriff unterdrücken. Zu diesen Orten gehören vorn seitliche Teile des n. reticularis, das Gebiet der vorderen Thalamusstrahlungen, der rostrale Teil des n. reuniens, der n. interoanteromedialis, etwas seitliche Teile des n. dorsalis medialis und hintere Teile des centrum medianum, alles in Übereinstimmung mit Ergebnissen mehrerer früherer Untersucher.
Journal Information
Behaviour publishes original research pursuing Tinbergen’s four questions and questions resulting from the interrelationship among the four. In addition, the editorial board encourages reviews of behavioural biology that illuminate emergent trends and new directions in behavioural research. Niko Tinbergen (1907-1988) defined 4 questions for research in behavioral biology: Proximate causation of behaviour: 1. How does an animal use its sensory and motor abilities to activate and modify its behaviour patterns? (physiological mechanisms) 2. How does an animal’s behaviour change during its growth, especially in response to the experiences that it has while maturing? (ontogeny of development) Ultimate causation of behaviour: 3. How does the behaviour promote an animal’s ability to survive and reproduce? (adaptation) 4. How does an animal’s behaviour compare with that of other closely related species, and what does this tell us about the origins of its behavior and the changes that have occurred during the history of the species? (phylogeny) Niko Tinbergen shared, with Konrad Lorenz and Karl von Frisch, the 1973 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology for contributions to the study of behavioural biology. Tinbergen was at heart an experimentalist who, more than Lorenz and von Frisch, applied the scientific method to the field of animal and human behaviour. It is his experimental approach to the study of behaviour that lasts to this day. That is why Tinbergen listed questions and not answers (theorems or laws). The answers (or at least some of them) are published monthly in Behaviour, the journal Tinbergen co-founded with W. H. Thorpe in 1948.
Publisher Information
BRILL, founded in 1683, is a publishing house with a strong international focus. BRILL is renowned for its publications in the following subject areas; Asian Studies, Ancient Near East & Egypt, Biblical Studies & Religious Studies, Classical Studies, Medieval & Early Modern Studies, Middle East & Islamic Studies. BRILL’s mainly English language publications include book series, individual monographs and encyclopaedias as well as journals. Publications are increasingly becoming available in electronic format (CD-ROM and/or online editions).BRILL is proud to work with a broad range of scholars and authors and to serve its many customers throughout the world. Throughout its existence the company has been honored with many awards which recognise BRILL’s contribution to science, publishing and international trade.
