Changes in handedness in the rat by local application of acetylcholine to the cerebral cortex.

Peterson, Gregory

doi:10.1037/h0059239

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…These characteristics showed a marked similarity to some reported effects of brain homogenate injections. Another example would be the report by Peterson (1949) which showed change of handedness as a result of injecting acetylcholine into rats; Byrne and Samuel (1966) and Rosenblatt and Miller (1966) reported specific "transfers" of handedness via brain homogenates. While such results may be due in part to "information" contained in the homogenate, the generality of such an effect must be systematically controlled to allow an interpretation of specificity of "information" transfer.…”

Section: Complex Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative versus qualitative RNA and protein changes in the brain during behavior.

Gaito¹,

Bonnet²

1971

Psychological Bulletin

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Research purporting to demonstrate the occurrence of quantitative or qualitative changes in ribonucleic acid (RNA) and/or protein during simple and complex behavior is reviewed. Limitations in interpretation of research results and methodological problems are discussed. Much research indicates that quantitative changes do occur. In general, increments tend to result with mild or moderate stimulation; decrements, with drastic or prolonged stimulation. However, there is no conclusive evidence to indicate that qualitatively different RNA and/or protein species are synthesized during behavior. The necessity for research involving methods sensitive to the detection of qualitative changes is suggested.

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Section: Complex Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative versus qualitative RNA and protein changes in the brain during behavior.

Gaito¹,

Bonnet²

1971

Psychological Bulletin

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“…The study herein reported makes use of both methods to produce forced training. It was instituted to obtain control groups of unoperated animals to compare with animals which had been subjected to cerebral lesions and subsequent reeducation (5) or to local drug applications (3). Since the two methods of producing practice are so different, they will be reported separately.…”

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confidence: 99%

Transfers in handedness in the rat from forced practice.

Peterson¹

1951

Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology

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The effects of forced practice in influencing handedness in the rat were first reported for animals subjected to cerebral injuries which had produced transfers (2). Milisen (1) later reported on a larger number of normal rats tested in a somewhat different food-reaching situation. The most systematic study has been reported by Wentworth (6), who produced forced practice with the non-preferred limb by means of an offset food dish. This arrangement has the food opening, into which the rat reaches, adjacent to one wall or partition of the cage so as to make it inconvenient for the animal to use one of his hands. Under these conditions, animals whose preference was unknown used the hand corresponding to the offset side with greater incidence than would be expected from known frequencies among unselected animals in the normal situation, where the dish is centered so as to favor neither hand. Since some animals, however, used the hand opposite to that expected from practice received in the offset situation, Wentworth concedes that this practice, while influential, is not the only determining factor in producing hand preferences. There is an assumption here that all animals used the more convenient hand in the offset situation, and Wentworth reports that he did not observe any use of the opposite hand in reaching. However, in this part of his study he did not take individual observations, nor count the number of reaches taken by his animals, but estimated them from Milisen's previous work. Casual observations did not reveal any opposite-hand reaches, but since the greater proportion of animals (approximately 90 per cent) gave correspondence to offset training, the exceptions could have been overlooked. In a similar offset situation we have occasionally seen animals make a very inconvenient reach with the opposite hand.Wentworth recognizes this difficulty but points out that tests to determine original preference necessarily give practice which may help to fixate such a preference (6, p. 73). In another phase of his study he used a minimum of such test reaches (ten reaches) to determine original preference, then forced the animals to practice with the opposite hand for 200 reaches in the offset situation. Of 56 animals so tested, 23 shifted completely, 18 were ambidextrous, and 15 returned to the originally preferred hand. The original tests and forced practice were run when the rats were 25 days old, and the retests were run 60 days later.The study of forced practice in animals with cerebral injury (2) made use of the normal food situation, which is not biased by being offset. The preferred hand was prevented from use by being bound with adhesive tape. When unbound, the limb is stiff for a day or two. Wentworth (6, p. 68) is critical of this method, dismissing it as unsatisfactory without stating precisely why. For certain purposes it may be less satisfactory than offset training, but this is on the assumption that the restraint of the limb and its subsequent stiffness will prevent its use in 184

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“…On operation day, the animals were observed for fifty reaches, then immediately placed under ether anaesthesia. The operation was performed and the drug applied as previously described (2). The animal was then returned to the feeding cage to recover from the anaesthesia, which usually required three to ten minutes.…”

mentioning

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Influence on handedness of acetylocholine locally applied with other chemicals to the cerebral cortex of the rat.

Peterson

Rigney²

1950

Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology

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Acetylcholine (Ach) seems to have a facilitating effect in the preferential use of the hands when applied locally to one hemisphere of the rat's brain (2). However, the results are equivocal when all of the experimental animals are taken into consideration. Only in ambidextrous rats is the effect likely to be observed and even in such cases, negative results appear as frequently as positive. Nevertheless, localized clonic contractions of the forelimb, which are also sporadic and uncertain but which are unequivocal when they do occur, lend support to the notion that some effect is being produced.Early work indicated that some means should be sought to increase the incidence of the change. The literature is replete with suggestions of ways to stabilize Ach in animal tissues, and thus make it more effective. Inhibitors of choline esterase, buffers to maintain acidity, changes in saline concentration, solvents natural to nerve tissue, associated drugs with similar central effects; all of these are possibilities which come to mind.

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Changes in handedness in the rat by local application of acetylcholine to the cerebral cortex.

Cited by 7 publications

References 11 publications

Quantitative versus qualitative RNA and protein changes in the brain during behavior.

Quantitative versus qualitative RNA and protein changes in the brain during behavior.

Transfers in handedness in the rat from forced practice.

Influence on handedness of acetylocholine locally applied with other chemicals to the cerebral cortex of the rat.

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