Temporal summation and refractoriness in hypothalamic reward neurons as measured by self-stimulation behavior.

A neurophysiological technique of double-pulse stimulation has been applied to freely moving rats with chronic indwelling electrodes in the hypothalamic reward area. Self-stimulation thresholds, measured as a function of the interpulse interval, generated curves with time constants characteristic of refractory periods and temporal synaptic summation. The results indicate a way of studying central neuronal processes for which the overt behavior of the animal is the dependent variable.