Anosmia and mouse killing by rats: A nonolfactory role for the olfactory bulbs.

Assigned 18 nonmuricidal Holtzman rats to 3 groups: (a) unoperated control, (b) bilateral deafferentation, and (c) bilateral olfactory bulbectomy. Ss were then presented with a Swiss albino male mouse. Pure anosmia, produced by deafferentation, did not facilitate mouse killing. Anosmia produced by olfactory bulbectomy did facilitate an irritable form of mouse killing in 80% of the Ss. Results indicate that it is not anosmia which is responsible for bulbectomy-facilitated muricide, but some nonolfactory function of the olfactory bulbs. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)