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REGULATORY INFLUENCE OF AMYGDALOID NUCLEI UPON THE UNITARY ACTIVITY IN VENTROMEDIAL NUCLEUS OF HYPOTHALAMUS
Author(s) -
Sawa Masaichi,
Maruyama Naoshige,
Hanai Taiji,
Kaji Shizuo
Publication year - 1959
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1819.1959.tb02436.x
Subject(s) - ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus , stimulation , amygdala , facilitation , hypothalamus , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , stimulus (psychology) , neuroscience , nucleus , chemistry , excitatory postsynaptic potential , medicine , psychology , endocrinology , biology , psychotherapist
SUMMARY Under barbiturate anesthesia, the unitary activity of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus of 10 adult cats was picked up with the use of glass pipette electrodes, and the electrical stimulation on the three principal nuclei (lateral, medial and intermediate) of the amygdaloid nuclear complex was observed with reference to spike activities. The electrical stimulation given to the principal nuclei of the amygdala caused either inhibition of the unitary spike activity of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus or the transition of the responses from inhibition to facilitation. With regard to stimulus parameter, it was observed that low voltage, low frequency, and short pulse duration caused inhibitory response, while high voltage, high frequency (20–40 c/s) and long pulse duration gave rise to the inhibition‐facilitation response. In most cases, this facilitation phenomenon, we believe, is related to the seizure discharges induced in the stimulated portions. When the stimulation was repeated with the same stimulus parameter, these responses were gradually intensified, and the transition from inhibition to facilitation was observed. The stimulation given to each of the three principal nuclei caused the above responses, but there was some variance in the degree thereof, which was related to the degree of the reversal tendency of the responses. An explanation concering the functional properties of amygdala was made on the basis of the above results.