Motivation dependence of brain self-stimulation in the pigeon

Abstract

Several brain sites in the pigeon were identified as maintaining electrical brain self-stimulation. Depending on the site, stimulus currents yielding maximal responding varied from 20 to 160 μA. A high proportion of the sites only yielded self-stimulation behaviour if the subjects were deprived of food; when the birds were at full weight there was only one site at which the stimulation continued to be rewarding. Some, but weak, evidence of stimulus satiation was found. Overt behaviour elicited by non-contingent stimulation did not correlate with the reinforcing or neutral nature of the sites tested. While some positive sites were associated with structures known to be involved in the control of feeding, others were not. The hypothesis that stimulation at the hunger-dependent sites might have elicited temporary satiation signals is considered.

Hunger dependence of electrical brain self-stimulation in the pigeon

“…IN a recent study on reinforcing intracranial stimulation in the pigeon Zeigler et al [15] failed to find any evidence for a hunger dependence of self-stimulation response rates. This result disagrees at least partially with previous findings of our own and others indicating that such a dependence was a salient characteristic of a high proportion of rewarding brain loci in the pigeon (see [2]). Zeigler et al's results also contrast with the widespread occurrence of hunger dependence of self-stimulation behaviour in mammals (see [4,7]).…”

“…The anatomical location of the present sites is shown in Fig. 2, along with a compilation of brain self-stimulation sites taken from [2], updated by including the positive loci reported in [3,12,15]. The new sites of this study fall well into place with the general distribution of the loci, sites 302 and 354 perhaps being slightly marginal.…”

“…The methods were similar to those employed previously [2] and we shall only give a brief description here. Seven adult pigeons (Columba livia) of unknown sex were used.…”

The avian subpallium: New insights into structural and functional subdivisions occupying the lateral subpallial wall and their embryological origins

“…For example, Delius et al (1976) have shown that electrical stimulation of the accumbens region has rewarding properties in birds, and medial striatal neurons in chick show reward-related responses (Yanagihara et al, 2001). Similarly, chicks with electrolytic lesions of the ventromedial striatum, including the accumbens region, are impaired in their ability to associate color cues with reward (Izawa et al, 2003; Aoki et al, 2006).…”

Dopaminergic innervation of the telencephalon of the pigeon (Columba livia): A study with antibodies against tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine

“…In rats and other mammalian species, this structure is well known to be a major part of the dopaminergic-controlled brainreward pathway and to play an important role in the rewarding action of DA-stimulating drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine (Robbins and Everitt, 1982). The situation seems to be quite similar in birds, because Delius et al (1976) and Delius and Pellander (1981) have shown that electrical self-stimulation of the Ac has rewarding properties.…”