THE NUCLEI OF THE REGION OF THE TUBER CINEREUM

Abstract

Some time ago I began an experimental investigation of the nuclei of the subthalamic and hypothalamic regions of the brain of the dog. Lesions were made in these regions by the injection of a weak solution of mercuric chloride or silver nitrate. Of the series of dogs originally used, the lesion in five cases lay within an area in the wall of the third ventricle extending from the optic chiasm to the mammillary bodies and reaching dorsally to the thalamus. These animals, normal at first, developed a series of convulsions after a few hours. The convulsions usually became more severe and more frequent, resulting in the death of the animal several hours after the onset of symptoms. They were characterized by muscular spasms, salivation, dilatation of the pupils, vasoconstriction, increase in heart rate, a rise in temperature and unconsciousness. A brief summary of this work is needed here to introduce