Increased drinking stimulated by exposure to lithium-conditioned taste cues: effects of conditioning trials and drug dose.
Rats first received differential conditioning in which the oral infusion of one flavored solution (the CS+) was followed by lithium injection and the oral infusion of a different solution (the CS-) was followed by no drug treatment. The intake of a novel palatable flavor was then measured after infusion exposure to either the lithium-conditioned CS+, the taste of tap water, or the CS-. Exposure to the CS+ stimulated more drinking than comparable exposure to tap water following 2-8 differential conditioning trials (Experiment 1), following conditioning with lithium doses of 0.75-3.0 mEq/kg (Experiment 2), and in comparison with both exposure to water and exposure to the CS- (Experiment 3). However, the phenomenon was not closely related to the degree of aversion subjects acquired to the lithium-paired taste solution. These results indicate that a complete characterization of the changes in drinking which are elicited by lithium-conditioned stimuli requires recognition of not only the suppression of intake commonly observed in the presence of the conditioned stimuli, but also the enhancement of intake evident as an after-effect of the lithium-conditioned stimuli.
D000818:Animals; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D003463:Cues; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004327:Drinking Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D008094:Lithium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D013649:Taste
D008094:Lithium