Stimulation of the ventral tegmental area (A10 region) enhances the hypothalamic attack behavior in the cat

The influence of the A10 region of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) on the quiet biting attack evoked by stimulation of the lateral hypothalamic nucleus (LH) was studied. The latency of the biting was considered as reference value and measured with stop-watches; it remained constant when hypothalamic stimulation was performed with the same parameters. Simultaneous activation of the A10 neuron group induced a facilitation of the aggression in the form of a decrease in the biting latency or a display of the attack pattern when LH was stimulated with parameters below the threshold for biting appearance. The facilitatory effect of the A10 neurons of the VTA is discussed.