Influence of the type of reinforcement on the conditioned alimentary reaction in rats with lesions in the lateral hypothalamus
Balińska, H.
Acta Physiologica Polonica 21(1): 73-81
1970
ISSN/ISBN: 0044-6033 PMID: 5417362 Document Number: 26349
Of 30 male hooded rats 20 had lateral hypothalamic lesions and 10 were untreated. Water or sweetened milk was placed in a T-maze through which the rat had to run in 20 sec to get a drink. When the control rats received an electric shock after a sound warning while drinking water a conditioned avoidance reaction was established after 180 trials. In 10 of the rats with lesions the conditioned drinking reaction could not be established with water as during 200 sessions the rats were passive. When sweetened milk was used as reinforcement for 10 rats with lesions there was no difficulty in establishing the conditioned drinking reaction but compared with the controls there were errors in avoidance reaction.