Ingestion of environmentally contaminated Lake Ontario salmon by laboratory rats increases avoidance of unpredictable aversive nonreward and mild electric shock.
To determine what behavioral changes are caused by consumption of Lake Ontario salmon, a 30% diet of Lake Ontario or control Pacific Ocean salmon was fed to rats for 20 days. In Experiments 1 and 2 (preference-for-predictability E-maze test), rats fed Lake Ontario salmon developed a preference for predictable food rewards more quickly than did the control rats. In Experiments 3 (passive avoidance) and 4 (conditioned suppression), rats fed Lake Ontario salmon suppressed responding to food far more after the introduction of mild electric shocks than did control rats. All results supported the hypothesis that ingestion of Lake Ontario salmon, contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury, lead, etc., increases the reactivity of rats to aversive events. The results were successfully simulated by DMOD, a mathematical model of learning, using the assumption that rats fed Lake Ontario salmon find unpredictable nonreward and mild shock more aversive.
Daly
H B
HB
Department of Psychology, State University of New York, Oswego 13126.
Hertzler
D R
DR
Sargent
D M
DM
D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D009949:Orientation / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012474:Salmon; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
D014873:Water Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical