AUTHOR S ABSTRACT OF THIS PAPER ISSUED BY 

 THE BIBLIOGRAPHIC SERVICE, SEPTEMBER 29 



EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON THE BRAIN STEM 



III. THE EFFECTS ON REFLEX ACTIVITIES OF WIDE VARIATIONS IN 

 BODY TEMPERATURE CAUSED BY LESIONS OF THE THALAMUS 



F. T. ROGERS 



Hull Physiological Laboratory, University of Chicago 



TEN FIGURES 



In a previous study of decerebrate restlessness in the pigeon 

 attention was again called to the differences in behavior of decer- 

 ebrate birds according to whether or not the thalamus was 

 traumatized in the process of decerebration. It has been long 

 recognized by physiologists that the subsequent effects on the 

 animal are quite different in the two cases, but a clear-cut com- 

 parative study of the two sets of conditions, followed by a careful 

 study of the brain, is wanting. In part this has been due to 

 want of detailed knowledge of the structure of the basal ganglia 

 in the bird and in part to failure to recognize the role of second- 

 ary physiological conditions after the operation. Of the latter 

 factors, one important factor is that of maintaining a normal 

 body temperature, which the writer has considered in a previous 

 report. The writer is of the opinion that there are also others, 

 such as changes in the circulatory and digestive conditions, which 

 also modify the physiological picture. Experiments along these 

 lines are now under way and will be reported later. 



HISTORICAL 



Only a brief summary of the history of the question of the 

 role of the thalamus will be given here, as it is discussed in the 

 larger text-books of physiology, particularly those of Schaffer, 

 Luciani, and Hermann. The more important papers are cited 

 in the bibliography. 



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