Physiological and nutritional consequences of brain lesions: A functional atlas of
      the chicken hypothalamus

Feldman, S; Snapir, N; Yasuda, M; Treuting, F; Lepkovsky, S

Physiological and nutritional consequences of brain lesions: A functional atlas of the chicken hypothalamus

Authors

Sanford E. Feldman
Nachum Snapir
Mikio Yasuda
Frank Treuting
Samuel Lepkovsky

Authors Affiliations

Sanford E. Feldman was Lecturer, Department of Surgery, University of California, and Associate in the Experiment Station, Berkeley; Nachum Snapir was formerly Research Endocrinologist, Department of Poultry Husbandry, Berkeley, is Associate Professor, Department of Poultry Science, The Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel; Mikio Yasuda was formerly Assistant Specialist, Department of Poultry Husbandry, Berkeley, is Professor on the Faculty of Agriculture, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan; Frank Treuting was formerly Scientific Illustrator, Department of Poultry Husbandry, Berkeley, is a free-lance artist, Three Rivers, California; Samuel Lepkovsky was Poultry Husbandry Professor Emeritus and Nutritionist in the Experiment Station, Berkeley.

Publication Information

Hilgardia 41(19):605-629. DOI:10.3733/hilg.v41n19p605. March 1973.

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Abstract

An atlas of the chicken hypothalamus was prepared and used for stereotaxic placements of electrolytic lesions. Histological brain sections, showing the location of lesions in the hypothalamus, were prepared, and the locations of the lesions were correlated with physiological and behavioral responses. Photomicrographs of some of the electrolytic lesions that did not evoke physiological or behavioral changes are also presented.

Variations in the head of the chicken resulted in lack of correlation between stereotaxic coordinates and anticipated location of the lesion. Correlation was good, however, between the location of the lesion and physiological response. Multiple physiological responses evoked by some lesions located in approximately the same brain areas in different chickens are described. Occasionally, months after lesioning, disturbed physiological functions were restored to normal, or physiological functions appeared newly impaired.

Results suggest that correlations between lesions (as shown by histological sections) and physiological aberrations cannot be made with confidence for two to four weeks after placement of lesions, possibly because of inflammation, edema, and other reversible brain damage.

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