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Abstract
Thirteen male green anole lizards were lesioned in the ventromedial nucleus (VMN)
of the posterior dorsal ventricular ridge ("amygdala") and/or the paleostriatum (PS)
to determine the influence of these structures on assertion and challenge displays
addressed to male intruders, or courtship displays and copulatory neckgrip directed
toward females. Lesions that affected both VMN and PS reduced or eliminated both challenge
and courtship displays as well as the neckgrip, a crucial component in courtship.
Subjects with lesions limited to VMN had assertion and challenge left unimpaired but
courtship was reduced and neckgrip eliminated in most subjects. A lesion restricted
to PS caused a significant deficit in challenge while other measures were unaffected.
These data indicate that the VMN is involved in reproductive function in the green
anole lizard.