Effects of septal lesions on shock thresholds in weanling male and female rats.
Twenty-four-day old weanling male and female rats were either lesioned in the septal area, gonadectomized, lesioned and gonadectomized, or untreated. Tests for reactivity to electric shock were conducted at 26 and at 40 days of age. Neither males nor females showed any effect of the lesions are measured by flinch and jump thresholds to electric shock immediately following surgery; both male and female lesioned groups showed a significant lowering of thresholds when tested at 40 days of age. The effects of septal lesions on response to electric shock were dissociated from the effects on hyperemotionality measured over the same period of time after the lesions, and appeared to have their effect independent of the sex or hormonal condition of the animals.
D000818:Animals; D002369:Castration; D004597:Electroshock; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012688:Septum Pellucidum / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014886:Weaning