OPEN-FIELD BEHAVIOR OF HIPPOCAMPAL-LESIONED RATS AND HAMSTERS

24 male albino Sprague-Dawley rats and male Syrian hamsters with hippocampal damage were tested in a novel open field under both ad-lib feeding and food-deprivation conditions. With ad-lib feeding, hippocampal lesioned rats entered significantly more squares than their controls; hamsters with hippocampal lesions and control Ss did not differ. Under food deprivation, rats with the hippocampus removed by aspiration were active early in the session but number of squares entered decreased over time; the reaction of hamsters with similar lesions was the opposite. The results emphasize the importance of employing different species when studying the effects of brain lesions on behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1968 American Psychological Association.