title: Loss of sensitivity to low concentrations of NaCl following bilateral chorda tympani nerve sections in rats.
abstract: A reliable short-term NaCl taste test was developed for rats which resulted in differential responding to a variety of concentrations. The rats were required to exist on a low sodium diet for 8-10 days prior to the initiation of testing. The peak response in this test was to isotonic NaCl with lesser responding to hyper- and hypotonic solutions. After stable responding was obtained, bilateral sections were made of the chorda tympani nerves. This surgery resulted in a loss of sensitivity to the lowest hypotonic solutions (0.03 and 0.06 M NaCl). Little, if any, effect was noted in the perception of sucrose following these nerve sections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee 32306-1051.
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: O'Keefe
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schumm
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002814:Chorda Tympani Nerve / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012982:Sodium, Dietary / Q000494:pharmacology; D013395:Sucrose / Q000494:pharmacology; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic; D012982:Sodium, Dietary; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013395:Sucrose