Abstract
Electrical high frequency stimulation of widely separate thalamic areas yielded orienting responses in unanaesthetized, freely moving cats. Although these responses looked identical at the first presentation of the stimulus, marked differences appeared when it was repeated. The animals soon habituated to stimulation of a lateral group of nuclei, consisting mainly of the sensory relay nuclei. On the other hand, orienting responses elicited from the intralaminar nuclei were highly resistant to such habituation, whereas a dorso-medial group took an intermediate position. The observed differences may be explained in the following ways: (1) Stimulation of the lateral nuclear group produces some kind of sensory experience of no signal value, and the animal therefore soon ceases to respond. (2) Stimulation of the intralaminar group either directly activates neurones involved in an arousal or orienting mechanism, or it is negatively or positively reinforcing. (3) The prolonged habituation observed in the dorso-medial group may be explained by the negatively reinforcing properties of such stimulation.
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