HOW BRAIN LESIONS AFFECT NORMAL AND NEUROTIC BEHAVIOR
An Experimental Approach
JULES H. MASSERMAN M. D., and
CURTIS PECHTEL PH. D.1
1 The department of neurology and psychiatry, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill.
Over a period of 6 years 50 cats and 40 monkeys were closely observed for (1) their individual and social characteristics; (2) their capacity to learn various skills; and (3) the form and persistence of the experimental neuroses induced in 23 cats and 18 monkeys by exposure to adaptational conflicts. The animals were then subjected severally to lesions of the anterior or mediodorsal thalamus, the amygdalae, or cerebral areas 13, 23, or 24. The results to date indicate that the general and specific effects of cerebral lesions vary not only with their site and extent but also with (1) the preoperative experiences of each animal and (2) its postoperative care and re-training.
