EFFECTS OF ELECTRICAL STIMULATION OF THE AMYGDALA ON HYPOTHALAMICALLY ELICITED ATTACK BEHAVIOR IN CATS

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Abstract
Electrical stimulation of medial portions of the basolateral nuclei of the amygdala in 14 adult cats was found to suppress directed attack behavior elicited by simultaneous electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus. Stimulation in the far lateral portion of the lateral amygdaloid nucleus in 2 cats produced facilitation of the attack response. Amygdaloid stimulation alone, at the low levels of current effective in suppressing or facilitating attack behavior, elicited neither fixed behavior patterns nor electrical after discharges. Suppression and facilitation effects were quantified by measuring latencies for the attack response at a given level of hypothalamic stimulation when the hypothalomus was stimulated alone and when the amygdala and the hypothalamus were stimulated simultaneously. It was concluded that the amygdala can exert a modulatory effect on hypothalamically elicited attack behavior, and that the potentially suppressing and facilitating regions in the amygdala are functionally distinct.

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