Emotional behavior in feral cats with ablations of prefrontal cortex and subsequent lesions in amygdala.

Bilateral ablations of gyrus proreus in 6 cats did not significantly alter either the intensity or the pattern of flight behavior during confrontation with a human. The scores for defense behavior were reduced in only 2 Ss. Subsequent lesions in the rostral part of the basolateral nuclei of amygdala reduced flight and transiently decreased defense scores in all Ss. It is concluded that the prefrontal cortex does not seem necessary for the flight and defense responding observed in feral cats. The role of amygdala in the regulation of these behaviors is confirmed. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)