Brain mechanisms and feeding behavior in the pigeon (Columba livia) II. Analysis of feeding behavior deficits after lesions of quinto‐frontal structures

An analysis of the deficits produced by lesions of quinto‐frontal structures (PrV, QFT, NB) in the pigeon was carried out, using a variety of measures of hunger and thirst. The results may be summarized as follows: In pigeons maintained under ad‐libitum conditions lesions of PrV, QFT and NB are followed by a period in which responsiveness to food is abolished or significantly reduced. Lesions of PrV and NB impair the performance of the consummatory response of eating by disrupting the neuro‐sensory control of mandibulation. Lesions of PrV and NB abolish an operant key‐pecking response reinforced with food for periods ranging from a few days to several weeks. No effects of quinto‐frontal lesions upon either operant or consummatory measures of thirst were observed. We conclude that quinto‐frontal structures mediate both sensorimotor and motivational processes involved in the control of feeding behavior in the pigeon and that these two functions may be experimentally dissociated. Our results are discussed in relation to previous studies of the sensory and neural control of hunger in birds and mammals.