Abstract
Hyperemotionality manifested by violent attack or flight reactions in response to previous neutral or innocuous stimuli, has been observed in rats with lesions of the septal area of the brain (hereinafter referred to as “septal rats”) (1-4). The hyperemotionality of septal rats was restored to normal by making other lesions in the amygdaloid or administering certain tranquilizing drugs (2, 4-7). From these observations, it was possible to assume that the limbic system exerted an important function in the “physiological tranquilization” of rats and that tranquilizing drugs might have an effect on this part of the brain. It has recently been reported that rats in which the olfactory bulb had been removed (hereinafter referred to as “O.B.-rats”) exerted hyperemotionality similar to that of the septal rats (14, 18), and this hyperemotionality of O.B.-rats was also corrected by making other lesions in the amygdaloid (8). In this report, change in emotional behavior of O.B.-rats was analyzed using the scoring method and the effect of various psychotherapeutic drugs on the hyperemotionality of these animals was observed. The effects of these drugs are compared with the general activity of normal rats and the taming effect of these drugs is also discussed herein.
