Effect of lesions in the central nervous system on lateral hypothalamic self-stimulation in the rat.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Response output for lateral hypothalamic self-stimulation (SS) was not significantly reduced following partial or complete transection of either the basal telencephalic, the tegmental, or both these projections of the medial forebraln bundle (MFB). Ablation of the tissue surrounding the electrode tip, however, abolished SS. Septal-lesioned Ss[subjectsJ showed a 33% increase (p<.05) in response output. Other lesions produced significant changes in either preferred train duration, the amount of time the lever was depressed per session, or both these measures. These results suggest that lateral hypothalamic SS does not depend on the integrity of the MFB and that the pathways mediating rewarding electrostimulation of the brain are diffusely organized.