Relationship between motivating and rewarding stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus

摘要: Abstract A comparison was made between the current thresholds for self-stimulation and motivating effects of lateral hypothalamic stimulation through same electrodes in rats. Three behavioral criteria motivation were: (a) display stimulus-bound eating, drinking or copulating; (b) facilitation responding under fixed-ratio schedules; (c) priming: release a lever-pressing response that had been extinguished. Stimulus-train duration each case held constant at 1 sec. The threshold reinforcing brain significantly exceeded effects. Furthermore, consummatory behavior correlated with reinforcement. This suggests separate but related systems underlie rewarding properties stimulation.