Abstract
The present study was conducted to compare the effects on several immobility reactions of hippocampal ablation in rats. Hippocampal lesions were found to increase significantly the duration of restraint-induced immobility, but these same lesions significantly increased movement in response to footshock and in an open field, indicating a reduction in the tendency for rats with hippocampal lesions to become immobile in these situations. These results are interpreted as indicating that hippocampal lesions in animals do not inevitably lead to a decreased tendency to become immobile in stressful situations and that the hippocampus in the adult rat inhibits behaviors which immature rats demonstrate more readily than mature rats.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Altman, J. Postnatal growth and differentiation of the mammalian brain, with implications for a morphological theory of memory. In G. D. Quarton, T. Melnechuk, & F. O. Schmitt (Eds.), The neurosciences: A study program. New York: Rockefeller University Press, 1967.
Altman, J., Brunner, R. L., & Bayer, S. A. The hippocampus and behavioral maturation. Behavioral Biology, 1973, 8, 557–596.
Blanchard, R. J., & Blanchard, D. C. Effects of hippocampal lesions on the rat’ s reaction to a cat. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1972, 78, 77–82.
Blanchard, D. C., Blanchard, R. J., Lee, E. M. C., & Fukunaga, K. K. Movement arrest and the hippocampus. Physiological Psychology, 1977, 5, 331–335.
Blanchard, R. J., & Fial, R. A. Effects of limbic lesions on passive avoidance and reactivity to shock. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1968, 66, 606–612.
Carli, G. Animal hypnosis in the rabbit. The Psychological Record, 1977, 27, 123–143.
Clark, G. Staining procedures. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1973.
Gallup, G. G., Jr. Animal hypnosis: Factual status of a fictional concept. Psychological Bulletin, 1974, 81, 836–853.
Isaacson, R. L. The limbic system. New York: Plenum, 1974.
Isaacson, R. L., Douglas, R. S., & Moore, R. Y. The effect of radical hippocampal ablation on acquisition of avoidance response. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1961, 54, 625–628.
Isaacson, R. L., & Wickelgren, W. O. Hippocampal ablation and passive avoidance. Science, 1962,138, 1104–1106.
Kim, C., Kim, C. C., Kim, J. K., Kim, M. S., Chang, H. K., Kim, J. Y., Lee, I. G. Fear response and aggressive behavior of hippocampectomized house rats. Brain Research, 1971, 29, 237–251.
Klemm, W. R. Neurophysiologic studies of the immobility reflex ( “animal hypnosis ”). In S. Ehrenpreis & O. C Solnitzky (Eds.), Neurosciences research (Vol. 4). New York: Academic Press, 1971.
McGraw, C. P., & Klemm, W. R. Mechanisms of the immobility reflex ( “animal hypnosis ”):III. Neocortical inhibition in rats. Communications in Behavioral Biology, 1969, 3, 53–59.
Papsdorf, J. D., & Woodruff, M. L. Effects of bilateral hippocampectomy on the rabbit’ s acquisition of shuttlebox and passive avoidance responses. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1970, 73, 486–489.
Pellegrino, L. J., & Cushman, A. J. A stereotaxic atlas of the rat brain. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1967.
Ratner, S. C. Comparative aspects of hypnosis. In J. E. Gordon (Ed.), Handbook of clinical and experimental hypnosis. New York: Macmillan, 1967.
Siegel, S. Nonparametric Statistics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1956.
Siegel, A., Edinger, H., & Ohgami, S. The topographical organization of the hippocampal projection to the septal area: A comparative neuroanatomical analysis in the gerbil, rat, rabbit, and cat. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 1974, 157, 359–378.
Svorad, D. “Animal hypnosis ” (Totstell reflex) as an experimental model for psychiatry. AMA Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, 1957, 77, 533–539.
Teschke, E. J., Maser, J. D., & Gallup, G. G., Jr. Cortical involvement in tonic immobility ( “animal hypnosis ”: Effect of cortical spreading depression. Behavioral Biology, 1975, 13, 139–143.
Valenstein, E. S., & Nauta, W. J. H. A comparison of the distribution of the fornix system in the rat, guinea pig, cat, and monkey. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 1959, 113, 337–363.
Wiitanen, J. T. Selective silver impregnation of degenerating axons and axon terminals in the central nervous system of the monkey (Macaca mulatta). Brain Research, 1969, 14, 546–548.
Winer, B. J. Statistical principles in experimental design. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971.
Woodruff, M. L., Hatton, D. C., & Meyer, M. E. Hippocampal ablation prolongs immobility response in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1975, 88, 329–334.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Portions of this paper were presented at the 86th annual convention of the American Psychological Association.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Woodruff, M.L., Bailey, S.D. Hippocampal lesions and immobility responses in the rat. Psychobiology 7, 254–258 (1979). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03326635
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03326635