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Midbrain Periaqueductal Gray Control of Defensive Behavior in the Cat and the Rat

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The Midbrain Periaqueductal Gray Matter

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((NSSA,volume 213))

Abstract

In 1943, Hess and Brügger observed that electrical stimulation within the perifornical hypothalamus transformed a normally calm and placid cat into a highly defensive animal. Subsequently, Hunsperger (1956) reported that electrical stimulation within the midbrain periaqueductal gray region (PAG) or the adjacent midbrain tegmentum, of the freely moving cat, evoked defensive reactions. At about the same time, researchers in Sweden (Eliasson et al., 1954; Lindgren, 1955; Lindgren et al., 1956) found that electrical stimulation within the midbrain, of the anesthetized cat, evoked cardiovascular changes, which included increased arterial pressure, tachycardia and regional blood flow changes. It was left to Abrahams et al. (1960) to confirm that these behavioral and cardiovascular reactions were evoked at the same midbrain sites.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Richard Bandler

  2. L.N.B.C., Centre de Neurochimie du CNRS, Strasbourg, France

    Antoine Depaulis

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  1. Richard Bandler
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  2. Antoine Depaulis
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. L.N.B.C, Centre de Neurochimie du CNRS, 5 rue Blaise Pascal, 67084, Strasbourg Cedex, France

    Antoine Depaulis

  2. Dept. of Anatomy, University of Sydney, 2006, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Richard Bandler

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Bandler, R., Depaulis, A. (1991). Midbrain Periaqueductal Gray Control of Defensive Behavior in the Cat and the Rat. In: Depaulis, A., Bandler, R. (eds) The Midbrain Periaqueductal Gray Matter. NATO ASI Series, vol 213. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3302-3_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3302-3_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6453-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-3302-3

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