Effects of an EEG Seizure Discharge on Operant Responding

A post-stimulus seizure discharge recorded in the amygdaloid area of monkey brains was investigated primarily by studying its effects upon behavior. Three different operant conditioning schedules were used with animals implanted with multiple depth electrodes. The schedules involved the factors of number discrimination, attention, sequential responding, and self-stimulation. Although the electrical brain stimulation caused a disruption in responding, no behavioral effects could be attributed to the recorded discharge itself. This result, and previous findings, lead to the tentative conclusion that the discharge results from a physico-chemical, brain-electrode interface phenomena and is not neurophysiological in nature