[The functional role of the septum]

A study of the electrical activity (background and at sensory stimulation) of the motor and visual areas of the cortex, hippocampus, septum (in some cases the lateral geniculate body and the midbrain reticular formation) was carried out on rabbits by the method of spectral-correlation analysis. The method of driving reactions to electrical stimulation of the lateral and medial nuclei of the septum was used to investigate its functional role as a pace-maker. The spectograms of all the analyzed areas of the brain showed the presence of acquired rhythms during electrical stimulation at 4-30 Hz. The acquired rhythm was most prominent in cortical potentials. It is assumed that the generation of rhythmical cortical activity is due to physiological interaction of the cortex and septum.