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The sequential organization of grooming behaviour in the rat
550
EBBS ABSTRACTS
development. The first reflex behaviour to develop in all of the various skin-grafted animals was normal. Some days later, however, stimulation of the grafts elicited responses (misdirected) which were atypical for the host area but normal for the area of graft origin. The area of the skin giving rise to misdirected reflexes enlarged gradually to occupy most of the graft. Size and position of the grafts was found to determine whether or not maladaptive or normal behaviour resulted in the adult frog. The position of this region was in the area of overlap of reflexogenous zones of forelimbs and hindlimbs. Cutaneous receptive fields were mapped electrophysiologically and were similar for tadpoles and frogs with skin grafts and normal controls. No changes in receptive fields were detected during development or during the period when normal or misdirected reflexes appeared. It was concluded that misdirected reflexes were not caused in the peripheral receptive fields but were due to changes in the CNS which occurred after the sensory nerves had become connected to the skin graft.
The sequential organization of grooming behaviour in the rat D. A. HOPKINS - - Department of Anatomy, Rotterdam Medical Faculty, Rotterdam
(The Netherlands) It has been demonstrated in the rat that grooming can be elicited by stimulation of the medial anterior hypothalamus. In addition, the component movements of face-washing and fur-licking occurred in orderly sequences. In the present investigation, quantitative data were obtained on the sequential organization of the components of evoked grooming and the sequences were compared with those of spontaneous grooming in normal rats. The results show that there are many alternative patterns of response at the beginning of a sequence of grooming. However, as the sequences progress, successive responses become increasingly predictable. For example, if a sequence of 3 specific face-washing components occurred in evoked grooming, a postural change and grooming of the back followed immediately in 99 ~ of the cases as compared to 77 7o of the cases in spontaneous grooming. Moreover, within such sequences it was often possible to predict, on the basis of the last face-washing component, whether the right or the left side of the back would be groomed. In evoked grooming, fur-licking occurred mainly on the side of the body ipsilateral to the stimulating electrode.
Avoidance learning in the non-compensated functionally decorticate rat PLOTKIN, I. S. RUSSELLAND D. KLEINMAN- - M.R.C. Unit for Research on Neural Mechanisms of Behaviour, University College, London (Great Britain)
H. C.
A number of conflicting reports are Brain Research, 24 (1970) 541-559
present in
the
literature
con-
EBBS ABSTRACTS
development. The first reflex behaviour to develop in all of the various skin-grafted animals was normal. Some days later, however, stimulation of the grafts elicited responses (misdirected) which were atypical for the host area but normal for the area of graft origin. The area of the skin giving rise to misdirected reflexes enlarged gradually to occupy most of the graft. Size and position of the grafts was found to determine whether or not maladaptive or normal behaviour resulted in the adult frog. The position of this region was in the area of overlap of reflexogenous zones of forelimbs and hindlimbs. Cutaneous receptive fields were mapped electrophysiologically and were similar for tadpoles and frogs with skin grafts and normal controls. No changes in receptive fields were detected during development or during the period when normal or misdirected reflexes appeared. It was concluded that misdirected reflexes were not caused in the peripheral receptive fields but were due to changes in the CNS which occurred after the sensory nerves had become connected to the skin graft.
The sequential organization of grooming behaviour in the rat D. A. HOPKINS - - Department of Anatomy, Rotterdam Medical Faculty, Rotterdam
(The Netherlands) It has been demonstrated in the rat that grooming can be elicited by stimulation of the medial anterior hypothalamus. In addition, the component movements of face-washing and fur-licking occurred in orderly sequences. In the present investigation, quantitative data were obtained on the sequential organization of the components of evoked grooming and the sequences were compared with those of spontaneous grooming in normal rats. The results show that there are many alternative patterns of response at the beginning of a sequence of grooming. However, as the sequences progress, successive responses become increasingly predictable. For example, if a sequence of 3 specific face-washing components occurred in evoked grooming, a postural change and grooming of the back followed immediately in 99 ~ of the cases as compared to 77 7o of the cases in spontaneous grooming. Moreover, within such sequences it was often possible to predict, on the basis of the last face-washing component, whether the right or the left side of the back would be groomed. In evoked grooming, fur-licking occurred mainly on the side of the body ipsilateral to the stimulating electrode.
Avoidance learning in the non-compensated functionally decorticate rat PLOTKIN, I. S. RUSSELLAND D. KLEINMAN- - M.R.C. Unit for Research on Neural Mechanisms of Behaviour, University College, London (Great Britain)
H. C.
A number of conflicting reports are Brain Research, 24 (1970) 541-559
present in
the
literature
con-