AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 237, Issue 3 126-R131, Copyright © 1979 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Oral motor deficits following lesions of the central nervous system in the rat

C. C. Brimley and G. J. Mogenson

The effects of lesions of the zona incerta (ZI), globus pallidus (GP), midlateral and far lateral hypothalamus (MLH and FLH), and the central amygdaloid complex (CAC) on oral motor deficits were investigated. Lesions of the ZI, GP, and CAC resulted in a significant reduction in tongue extension and lap volume. MLH lesions significantly reduced tongue extension whereas FLH lesions significantly reduced both tongue extension and lap volume. Injections of 6-hydroxydopamine into the GP, MLH, and CAC also significantly reduced tongue extension and lap volume. Water and/or food intakes were reduced in some of the lesioned groups but the oral motor deficits were observed both in the presence and in the absence of reduced water and food intakes. The possibility that oral motor deficits are associated with damage to striatal and non-striatal dopamine neurons needs further investigation.