Operant conditioning of pontine gigantocellular units.
| Title | Operant conditioning of pontine gigantocellular units. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 1979 |
| Authors | Breedlove SM, McGinty DJ, Siegel JM |
| Journal | Brain Res Bull |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pagination | 663-7 |
| Date Published | 1979 Sep-Oct |
| ISSN | 0361-9230 |
| Keywords | Animals, Cats, Conditioning, Operant, Electric Stimulation, Evoked Potentials, Extinction, Psychological, Female, Humans, Hypothalamus, Motor Activity, Neurons, Pons, Reinforcement, Psychology, Reticular Formation, Stereotyped Behavior |
| Abstract | In order to investigate the behavioral role of pontine gigantocellular field (FTG) units, we have operantly reinforced discharge in these cells in unrestrained cats using lateral hypothalamic stimulation as the reinforcing stimulus. Cats readily learned to increase discharge rate in reinforced FTG cells relative to simultaneously recorded, non-reinforced control cells. Increased FTG discharge was associated with elevated levels of motor activity and often with stereotyped movements. Our results are compatible with the hypothesis that FTG unit discharge is related to specific movements. |
| DOI | 10.1016/0361-9230(79)90110-2 |
| Alternate Journal | Brain Res Bull |
| PubMed ID | 573658 |
