ARTERIAL BLOOD-PRESSURE AND HEART-RATE CHANGES DURING SELF-STIMULATION BY DOGS IN THE BASAL FOREBRAIN REGION, LATERAL PREOPTIC AREA, HYPOTHALAMUS, VENTRAL MIDBRAIN AND AMYGDALA

  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 75  (3) , 255-267
Abstract
In dogs pressing a lever for a brain-stimulation reward, arterial blood pressure (ABP) was elevated for 20 of 24 sites tested. This effect was usually conspicuous only at 2x the threshold current sustaining stable performance. Hypertension was seen only in 1 ventral tegmental and 2 hypothalamic sites. In 3 anterior placements the ABP and heart rate (HR) increased more upon a fixed ratio than on continuous reinforcement. In most sites, self-stimulation was accompanied by cardiac acceleration; in some placements the HR was similar to or even less than control values. Continuous stimulation (5-10 s) at 1 nucleus accumbens and 4 hypothalamic sites was aversive and produced a clearcut pressor response. The cardiovascular changes seem to depend on a spread of current to brain centers controlling circulatory functions and, to some extent, on the animal''s motor activity. No causal relationship apparently exists between the autonomic concomitants of self-stimulation and the intrinsic nature of the brain-stimulation reward.