To develop a preparation for the cellular analysis of motor and motivational processes related to ingestive behavior. Anatomical studies will delineate the projections of the viscerosensory system originating in the nucleus of the Solitary Tract. Behavioral studies will provide a quantitative account of the effects of manipulating motivational variables upon the control of response topography in both conditioned and consumatory pecking responses. Neurobehavioral studies will clarify the contribution of a trigeminal telencephalic circuit to the control of visuomotor and somatosensorimotor behaviors involved in ingestion. These studies will clarify the brain mechanisms which mediate the control of ingestive behavior by motivational processes.
