Afferent projections related to attack sites in the ventral midbrain tegmentum of the cat.

Quiet attack was elicited by electrical stimulation of the ventrolateral midbrain tegmentum of the cat. The paw was not used other than to position or hold the rat during the bite. Bites were directed toward the head and neck region and were not accompanied by autonomic responses other than pupillary dilation and sometimes slight piloerection on the back. Horseradish peroxidase was deposited at the attack sites. Cells labeled with the peroxidase reaction product were located in gyrus propreus, gyrus genualis, nucleus accumbens, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, bed nucleus of the anterior commissure, nucleus of the diagonal band, substantia innominata, anterior amygdaloid area, ventromedial hypothalamic area, paraventricular nucleus, perifornical hypothalamic area, lateral hypothalamic area, dorsal hypothalamic area, field of Forel, midbrain reticular formation, superior colliculus, ventral central grey, lateral central gray, locus coeruleus, parabrachial nuclei, nucleus of the lateral lemniscus, oral pontine reticular nucleus, and the dorsal raphe. Other regions were less prominently labeled. Previous studies have shown most of these sites to have some involvement in attack.