Central localisation of somatic evoked responses in Landes goose

The central localisation of responses to stimulation of different peripheral somatic areas was studied in anaesthetised geese of the Landes breed. Natural (light touch, tap) and electrical stimuli were applied. In the first experiments the changes in the spontaneous activity following natural stimuli were recorded systematically from different brain regions. In the following experiments evoked potentials were recorded from responsive sites. The majority of the somatic responses were localised in the paleostriatum augmentatum, the neostriatum and the neostriatum caudale. Stimulation of the bill and the head elicited responses in tractus quinto-frontalis, paleostriatum augmentatum, neostriatum and neostriatum caudale while activation from the body were mainly localised in neostriatum caudale and paleostriatum augmentatum. Responses to photic stimulation were recorded from the visual wulst, the stratum opticum and the nucleus rotundus. Auditory stimuli were found to be ineffective under our recording conditions. These results are discussed and compared with previous data obtained in other species.