Abstract
A stimulation analysis was completed, by the use of roving stimulation electrodes, of an area in the cat hypothalamus where biting attack and threat behavior can be elicited. Results indicated that, while attack and threat have partially overlapping anatomical representations, there is considerable anatomical dissociation between these behaviors, even within overlap areas. Further, we found that a composite stimulation map, based on anatomical data pooled across animals, substantially overestimated the size of response areas and the degree of anatomical overlap between responses for a given animal. The results support the view that the hypothalamus contains partly overlapping, but functionally specific, mechanisms for different behaviors.
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This research was supported by United States Public Health Service Grant MH-25630 to G. G. Berntson. M. S. Beattie was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Training Grant MH-06748 awarded to Donald R. Meyer.
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Berntson, G.G., Beattie, M.S. Functional differentiation within hypothalamic behavioral systems in the cat. Psychobiology 3, 183–188 (1975). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03337502
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03337502