Angiotensin II-induced taste aversion learning in cats and rats and the role of the area postrema.
The capacity of angiotensin II (AII, 1 mg/kg, IP) to produce a taste aversion was studied in cats and rats with and without lesions of the area postrema. Using a one-bottle test, injection of AII produced an aversion in cats but not in rats. Using a two-bottle test, injection of AII produced a slight, but significant, decrease in sucrose preference in intact rats, but had no effect on rats with area postrema lesions. Lesions of the area postrema prevented the acquisition of a taste aversion in cats. These results, which show a clear species difference in the capacity of AII to produce a taste aversion, are discussed as supporting the hypotheses that there is a relationship between the sensitivity of the area postrema to a compound and the capacity of that compound to produce a taste aversion; and that excitation of the area postrema constitutes a sufficient condition for taste aversion learning to occur.
D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002415:Cats; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013045:Species Specificity; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D000804:Angiotensin II