Predatory Behavior in the Cat Elicited by Lower Brain Stem and Hypothalamic Stimulation: a Comparison

Abstract

The predatory attack of a cat against a rat elicited by lateral hypothalamic, ventral midbrain and ventromedial periaqueductal gray stimulation has been compared. Regardless of the region stimulated, the attack behaviors were found to be identical with respect to response topography, preference for the rat as an attack object, the distance at which the cats would approach and attack a rat and the success in finding and attacking the rat when the cats were blindfolded. However, the minimum current required to elicit the predatory attack by periaqueductal gray stimulation was 3–4 times less than that required to elicit the same behavior by ventral midbrain and lateral hypothalamic stimulation. The difficulty in reconciling these results with the preeminent role assigned to the hypothalamus in the organization of predatory aggressive behavior was considered.

Centrally elicited aggressive behavior: A model system for the study of episodic neurobehavioral pathologies?

“…In addition, while electrical stimulation of preoptic, hypothalamic, midbrain, and pontine regions elicit predatory-like attack behaviors that are seemingly identical in form and target selectivity, much higher intensities of stimulation are required to elicit the behavior with preoptic or hypothalamic stimulation than with midbrain or pontine stimulation [Bandler, 1977[Bandler, , 1979Proshansky and Bandler, 19751 (see Fig. 4).…”

“…First, several recent studies, [Bandler, 1975[Bandler, , 1977[Bandler, , 1979Bandler and Fatouris, 1978;Proshansky and Bandler, 19751 have drawn attention to the fact that there are almost certainly large regional differences in the configuration of the "common" neuropil likely affected by stimulation in the preoptic region, lateral hypothalamus, and midbrain ventral tegmental area -the medial forebrain bundle -and that the differential effectiveness of lesions in the anterior hypothalamic-preoptic region versus those in the midbrain region may simply be due to the greater compactness of the medial forebrain bundle in the caudal region. Thus even large anterior hypothalamic-preoptic region lesions are ineffective, perhaps because they are less likely to destroy neuropil in common with other lateral hypothalamic attack sites than are small ventral tegmental area lesions.…”

“…The different results of lesions in these regions, then, may tell us nothing about the directionality of stimulation effects. Second, so similar are the attack behaviors elicited by stimulation of different regions (preoptic region, lateral hypothalamus, midbrain ventral tegmental area, midbrain supratrochlear central gray area, pontine tegrnentum) [Bandler, 1977[Bandler, , 1979Berntson, 19731, that it is probable that the stimulation is affecting a common neural substrate. Yet the known anatomical interconnections of these areas do not suggest such a common descending neural substrate.…”

“…Their study could contribute to our general understanding of how ascending modulatory systems produce the "patterns of central nervous system dysfunction" that underlie the different episodic behavior disorders. In this regard, recent research which has found that electrical stimulation of discrete areas in the midbrain [Bandler, 1975[Bandler, , 1977Bandler et al, 1972;Proshansky and Bandler, 19751 and pons [Berntson, 19731 elicits a well-integrated predatorylike attack by a cat upon a rat may be important.…”

Social Behavior and Communication

“…Attack can be elicited from areas of the hypothalamus, the thalamus, the midbrain, and the stria terminalis (Bandler, 1977;Flynn, 1969;flynn et ai., 1970;Nakao, 1958;Roberts, 1970). In summarizing this literature, flynn et al (1970) have concluded that while both affective attack and quiet, biting attack can be elicited from different sites within both the hypothalamus and the midbrain, only affective attack has been elicited from the stria terminalis and only quiet attack from the thalamus.…”