Just a little history: The original Olds & Milner (1954) findings did
involve electrical stiulation of the septal region/septal nuclei which
rats preferred to access to conventional/biological rewards.  It was *a*
so-called pleasure center, one of a large number of them. FWIW, Olds and
one of his graduate students, David Margules, systematically identified
a number of identical feeding and pleasure areas in a _Science_ paper
ca. 1965.    

David K. Hogberg, PhD
Professor of Psychology, Emeritus
Albion College, Albion MI 49224
[EMAIL PROTECTED]  517/629-4834
>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 12/11/01 13:58 PM >>>
The septal nuclei are still there.  In rats, yes, stimulation to that
area was preferred over food or water.  In humans its function is not
well understood although it is classified as part of the limbic system. 
Given the likely importance of networks of areas, it would be simplistic
to call it the pleasure center in humans; what it's connected to is part
of what makes it important.  Its projections include hippocampus (for
episodic memory, among perhaps other functions) which also project to
the septal nuclei, and to brain stem and a variety of subcortical areas
such as the habenula.

See John Martin (1989), Neuroanatomy: Text and Atlas for more info.

Charlotte

>Whatever happened to the part of the brain called the Septum.Was it
>purpotedly the pleasure center of the brain?
>
>Michael J.Sylvester,PhD
>Daytona Beach,Florida
>
-- 
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Charlotte F. Manly, Ph.D.                             Psychological &
Brain Sciences
Assistant Professor                                       317 Life
Sciences Bldg
ph: (502) 852-8162                                        University of
Louisville
fax: (502) 852-8904                                       Louisville, KY
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[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.louisville.edu/a-s/psychology/
http://www.louisville.edu/~cfmanl01


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