Administration of atropine to the septal area of an adult male and female cat produced a deficit in passive avoidance as well as a significant increase in trials to criterion during forced extinction of a generalized avoidance response. No reliable effect was found on position-habit reversal or acquisition of a 1-way avoidance task. Therefore, septal atropine produced some, but not all, of the behavioral effects of septal lesions. The results also suggest that septal structures play a dominant role in mediating the behavioral effects of systemic cholinergic blockade. Pharmacological activation or inhibition of septal structures, as an alternative to the ablation method, may help to dissociate the many behavioral effects of septal disruption. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)