Acquisition of avoidance behavior following septal lesions in the rat.

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Abstract
Two-way avoidance behavior and concurrent intertrial activity were studied in the shuttle box in relation to stimulus and shock conditions; data were obtained on spontaneous activity and reactivity to Cs [conditional stimulus]. Facilitatory effects of septal lesions on avoidance behavior were independent of shock level, CS, ambient levels of stimulation, and gross manifestations of hyperreactivity. The facilitation was associated with higher intertrial activity, reflecting low incidence of freezing responses, but was not secondary to the heightened activity. Discriminative avoidance conditions did not alter the lesion-induced facilitation. Septal lesions also enhanced reactivity to photic stimuli. The multiplicity of effects cautions against any unitary explanation of the septal syndrome.