INTEREST in the function of the frontal lobes has greatly increased since Moniz'1 proposal to disconnect them surgically from the rest of the brain. In studies on the role of the cerebral cortex in the regulation of the activity of the autonomic nervous system,2 this problem attracted our attention. Not only was the presence of specific "autonomic centers" in the frontal lobes considered possible, but it was realized that the changes in behavior in animals after frontal lobectomy might affect the activity of autonomically controlled organs. It was necessary, therefore, to study the objective evidence for such changes in dogs and cats after ablation of various portions of the frontal lobes, with particular regard to the manifestations of autonomic imbalance.
LITERATURE
In 1909 one of us (B. P. B.)3 studied the effect of the ablation of frontal lobes in 4 dogs, using the method of conditioned reflexes.