Rearing rats with mice prevents induction of mouse killing by lesions of the septum but not lesions of the medial hypothalamus or medial accumbens.
Rats which had been reared with mice and those which had not were subjected to lesions of the septum, medial accumbens, medial hypothalamus, or sham lesions. Forty-eight hours later all animals were presented with a mouse and the frequency of mouse killing recorded. In rats with lesions of the septum, the lesions induced killing only in those animals which had not been reared with mice. Rats with lesions of the medial accumbens or medial hypothalamus killed significantly more often than control animals even when they had been reared with mice. These results suggest that the septum, medial accumbens and medial hypothalamus subserve different functions in the inhibitory modulation of mouse killing behavior.
D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D007033:Hypothalamus, Middle / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000502:physiology*; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*; D012688:Septum Pellucidum / Q000502:physiology*; D012931:Social Environment