Weanling and senescent rats process simultaneously presented odor and taste differently than young adults.
Weanling, young-adult, and senescent Wistar albino rats had a novel odor/taste stimulus or a single taste stimulus either paired or explicitly unpaired with the unconditioned stimulus, lithium chloride. Animals were then given a saccharin vs water preference test. Standard preference scores indicated that the odor competed with taste for association with the US in young-adult rats but potentiated the conditioned aversion to taste in weanling and senescent rats. Results were interpreted in terms of age-related attentional differences which were hypothesized to account for infantile amnesia and for the memory dysfunction typically observed in senescent animals.
Hinderliter
C F
CF
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown 15904.
Misanin
J R
JR
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D002712:Chlorides / Q000494:pharmacology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D008094:Lithium / Q000494:pharmacology; D018021:Lithium Chloride; D009812:Odorants; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012439:Saccharin / Q000494:pharmacology; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology
D002712:Chlorides; D008094:Lithium; D012439:Saccharin; D018021:Lithium Chloride