Elsevier

Brain Research

Volume 330, Issue 1, 18 March 1985, Pages 77-92
Brain Research

The organization of the hypothalamic pathways mediating affective defense behavior in the cat

https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(85)90009-5Get rights and content

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the hypothalamic pathways which mediate affective defense in the cat utilizing the methods of [14C]2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) and [3H]leucine radioautography in concert with the technique of electrical brain stimulation. The feline affective defense response, characterized by pupillary dilatation, piloerection, ear retraction, hissing, growling and striking with the forepaws, was elicited consistently by stimulation of sites within the ventromedial hypothalamus and anterior aspect of the medial hypothalamus. In one series of experiments, 2-DG autoradiography was employed to describe the brain regions activated following stimulation of site in the region of the ventromedial hypothalamus from which affective defense had been elicited. Ventromedial hypothalamic stimulation produced activation primarily in forebrain regions situated rostral to the level of the stimulating electrode. These structures included principally the anteromedial hypothalamus and medial preoptic area, as well as the bed nuclei of the stria terminalis and anterior commissure, diagonal band and lateral septal area. The caudal extent of activation included only the dorsal and perifornical hypothalamus at the level of the stimulation site. In a second series of experiments, affective defense sites in the anteromedial hypothalamus were stimulated and the regional distribution of 2-DG label was identified. In contrast to the results obtained from ventromedial hypothalamic stimulation, these experiments revealed a marked descending distribution of label within the posterior hypothalamus, midbrain central gray and ventral tegmental area. Results obtained from studies in which tritiated amino acids were injected into affective defense sites in both the ventromedial nucleus and anteromedial hypothalamus confirmed the general findings observed with 2-DG autoradiography. From these observations, we have concluded that the organization of the pathway mediating affective defense behavior from the ventromedial hypothalamus to the midbrain involves an initial synapse within the region of the anteromedial hypothalamus and a second synapse in the midbrain central gray substance. The significance of the anteromedial hypothalamus for the expression of affective defense behavior was considered in the Discussion.

Reference (58)

  • SiegelA. et al.

    Effects of electrical stimulation of the septum upon attack behavior elicited from the hypothalamus in the cat

    Brain Research

    (1970)
  • SmithD.A. et al.

    Afferent projections to affective attack sites in cat hypothalamus

    Brain Research

    (1980)
  • Stoddard-ApterS.L. et al.

    Septal and amygdala efferents to the hypothalamus which facilitate hypothalamically elicited intraspecific aggression and associated hissing in the cat: an autoradiographic study

    Brain Research

    (1980)
  • Stoddard-ApterS.L. et al.

    Plasma catecholamines and cardiovascular responses following hypothalamic stimulation in the awake cat

    J. aut. Nerv. Syst.

    (1983)
  • WatsonR.E. et al.

    An analysis of the mechanisms underlying hippocampal control of hypothalamically-elicited aggression in the cat

    Brain Research

    (1983)
  • WatsonR.E. et al.

    A [14C]2-deoxyglucose analysis of the functional neural pathways of the limbic forebrain in the rat. III. The hippocampal formation

    Brain Res. Rev.

    (1983)
  • WatsonR.E. et al.

    A [14C]2-deoxyglucose analysis of the functional neural pathways of the limbic forebrain in the rat. I. The amygdala

    Brain Res. Rev.

    (1983)
  • WatsonR.E. et al.

    A [14C]2-deoxyglucose analysis of the neural pathways of the limbic forebrain in the rat. II. The hypothalamus

    Brain Res. Bull.

    (1982)
  • BandlerR.J.

    Predatory behavior in the cat elicited by lower brainstem and hypothalamic stimulation: a comparison

    Brain Behav. Evol.

    (1977)
  • BerntsonG.G.

    Blockade and release of hypothalamically and naturally elicited aggressive behaviors in cats following midbrain lesions

    J. comp. physiol. Psychol.

    (1972)
  • BerntsonG.G. et al.

    Functional differentiation within hypothalamic behavioral systems in the cat

    Physiol. Psychol.

    (1975)
  • ChiC.C. et al.

    Neural pathways associated with hypothalamically elicited attack behavior in cats

    Science

    (1971)
  • Fernandez de MolinaA. et al.

    Central representative of affective reactions in forebrain and brainstem: electrical stimulation of amygdala, stria terminalis, and adjacent structures

    J. Physiol. (Lond.)

    (1959)
  • Fernandez de MolinaA. et al.

    Organization of the subcortical system governing defense and flight reactions in the cat

    J. Physiol. (Lond.)

    (1962)
  • FuchsS.A.G. et al.

    The neural pathways mediating quiet biting attack behavior from the hypothalamus in the cat: a functional autoradiographic study

    Aggress. Behav.

    (1981)
  • FuchsS.A.G. et al.

    The role of the anterior hypothalamus in affective defense behavior elicited from the ventromedial hypothalamus of the cat

    Brain Research

    (1985)
  • Fuchs, S. A. G. and Siegel, A., Neural pathways mediating hypothalamically-elicited flight behavior in the cat,Brain...
  • FuchsS.A.G. et al.

    Functional mapping of hypothalamic pathways eliciting aggression and escape behavior in the cat: a radioautographic study

    Soc. Neurosci. Abstr.

    (1980)
  • FuchsS.A.G. et al.

    Neural circuitry subserving affective display elicited from the feline hypothalamus

    Soc. Neurosci. Abstr.

    (1982)
  • Cited by (121)

    • HPA-axis hormone modulation of stress response circuitry activity in women with remitted major depression

      2013, Neuroscience
      Citation Excerpt :

      In the few investigations of potential trait markers in the brain [i.e., in remitted depression (rMDD)], results appear less consistent, with mixed reports of hyperactivation or hypoactivation of the amygdala, PFC, and ACC compared to controls (Hooley et al., 2005; Ramel et al., 2007; Wang et al., 2008; Okada et al., 2009; Holsen et al., 2011; Dichter et al., 2012; Kerestes et al., 2012), likely due to differences in study design (i.e., cognitive versus emotional paradigms). Collectively, these brain regions implicated in MDD overlap substantially with the neural circuitry involved in arousal and response to stressful events (Fuchs et al., 1985; Keverne, 1988; Price, 1999). Neuroimaging studies designed to evoke a stress response in healthy adults report activation in these same regions (hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, ACC, mPFC, and OFC) using a variety of paradigms, including sadness induction (Ottowitz et al., 2004), passive viewing of negative valence, high arousal stimuli (Goldstein et al., 2005, 2010b; van Stegeren et al., 2007; Cunningham-Bussel et al., 2009; Root et al., 2009), and psychosocial stressors such as the Montreal Imaging Stress Task, which involves a mental arithmetic task and continuous negative feedback on task performance (Wang et al., 2007; Pruessner et al., 2008).

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text