title: Failure to induce defecation in rats exposed to fixed-time schedules of liquid food delivery.
abstract: Previous studies have found that defecation increases in rats exposed to fixed-time schedules of dry food delivery. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether increases in defecation could be induced in rats exposed to fixed-time schedules of liquid food delivery. Eight rats were exposed to fixed-time 30-, 60-, and 120-s schedules of liquid food delivery. None of the subjects excreted significantly more fecal boli under the fixed-time schedules than during massed-food control sessions in which an equivalent amount of food was presented at the beginning of the sessions. Thus, the present findings identify a previously unknown constraint on schedule-induced defecation in rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo 49008, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: LeSage
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jarema
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poling
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D003672:Defecation / Q000502:physiology*; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors