Abstract
Publisher Summary The immobility reflex (IR) is better known as animal hypnosis, a state of profound immobility and relative unresponsiveness that can be triggered in many invertebrate and vertebrate species by several different kinds of sensory stimulation. This chapter provides an overview of IR, describing its history and the present state of understanding and then by focusing on areas where further research is needed. The chapter presents the history of IR, beginning with the first formal report of 1636, followed by the period of mesmerism and animal magnetism. The chapter discusses the various methods of inducing the state and a series of alternative hypotheses that could possibly account for induction of the state. Brain transection studies presented in the chapter reveal that IR is not controlled by diffuse neural systems. Rather, the state is controlled by a motor inhibitory system in the medullary reticular formation. Phylogenetic, decortication, and ontogenetic data converge to suggest that the bulbar IR control system is modulated by inhibition from the neocortex. It is possible that the limbic system affects IR by disinhibition of neocortical influences.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
