[Visual evoked potentials of fledglings to ecologically significant stimuli]

A study was made of the structure of evoked potentials in the Wulst of the dorsal hyperstriatum in five- to eight-day old nestlings in response to ecologically determined visual stimuli significant for the alimentary behaviour, within the range of their intensity natural fluctuation. It was established that the parameters of the visual evoked potentials correlate with the rate of behaviour manifestation, which depends on the level of alimentary motivation. At a low motivation level (and under Nembutal anaesthesia), latencies of all response components depend on the energetic parameters of the stimuli and to a maximum degree so -- the primary component latencies. At a high level of alimentary motivation, dependence of the response components latencies on the stimuli parameters is pronounced to a much lesser degree, and still less for the primary component. It is assumed that when the subsequent behavioral response is present, evoked potentials are more linked to the processes of organization and realization of behaviour than to the parameters of affective stimulation.