RELATIONSHIP OF EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORS INDUCED BY ELECTRICAL-STIMULATIONOF THE HYPOTHALAMUS TO CHANGES IN ECG, HEART, STOMACH, ADRENAL-GLANDS, AND THYMUS

The relationships of hypothalamically elicited emotional behaviors to their accompanying pathophysiological effects were examined as a model of how complex ''emotional behaviors'' may be related to fundamental psychosomatic disorders. Twenty-two unanesthetized adult cats were stu died. EKG alterations and histological changes in the heart, stomach, adrenal glands, and thymus were related to the specific stereotypical emotional behaviors that could be elicited by hypothalamic stimulation in tamed subjects. Restlessness, threat, and searching-biting behavio rs were evoked by electrical stimulation of the anteromedial, ventrome dial, and lateral hypothalamus, respectively. The occurrence of cardia c arrhythmias, ST and/or T (ST-T) changes in the EKG, histological dam age to myocardium, gastric erosion, and adrenal hyperplasia were gener ally observed in the restlessness and threat groups but not in the sea rching-biting group. The pathophysiological effects were similar in th e restlessness and threat groups with no specific EKG change or organ effect attributable to either site of stimulation. Hypothalamically el icited restlessness or threat behaviors in cats are each associated wi th cardiac, gastric, and adrenal pathophysiologies.