The Neural Basis of Grooming Behaviours in the Rat

Abstract

<p>Grooming was elicited by electrical stimulation of the midbrain tectum, the limbic system, and the medial anterior hypothalamus. Hypothalamic stimulation resulted in the more frequent occurrence of one class of components of grooming (face-washing, fur-licking, and biting), while another class (shaking and scratching) occurred more frequently in spontaneous grooming and during and following limbic system stimulation. Grooming elicited by anterior hypothalamic stimulation resembled thermoregulatory grooming in some respects, except that salivation and vasodilatation of the tail were absent. Components of both evoked grooming and spontaneous grooming occur in organized sequences, so that particular components tend to follow one another with a high probability. Self-stimulation did not generally occur at hypothalamic sites from which grooming was elicited.</p>