Cerebral Localization for Scratching and Seminal Discharge

Abstract

In a previous study it was found that either with chemical excitation of the dorsal hippocampus, or following afterdischarges induced by electrical stimulation, male cats showed excessive grooming and bodily scratching and sometimes penile erection.⁷ The picture was suggestive of aspects of courtship behavior in male cats. Similar behavior was elicited in rats. These findings were of particular interest because heretofore there existed little evidence that cerebral stimulation could elicit overt sexual responses. Such considerations served as the impetus for conducting a series of brain stimulation studies in the squirrel monkey in which we have looked specifically for sexual responses.^14,11,9 Thus far we have systematically explored the midline cortical and brain stem structures from the frontal pole to the level of the medulla, as well as the amygdala and greater part of the hippocampus.¹⁰ Between the caudal thalamus and the medulla points have been located at which