ANATOMICAL SPECIFICITY OF SEPTAL PROJECTIONS IN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOR IN RATS

Placed lesions in 96 male Long-Evans hooded rats' pathways anatomically associated with some septal projections to assess their individual contributions to the enhanced active avoidance performance and passive avoidance deficit found after large septal lesions. Septal and stria medullaris-habenular lesions impaired performance on a food-reinforced passive avoidance task, while fornix lesions had little effect. Septal, stria medullaris-habenular, and fornix lesions all enhanced 2-way shuttle-box avoidance performance and led to greater resistance to extinction of this task with massed trials. Results do not support a unitary conceptualization of septal function; instead, they suggest that the various behavioral effects associated with septal lesions are mediated over different projections. (27 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.