title: Tail-flick test: II. The role of supraspinal systems and avoidance learning.
abstract: It is held that the tail-flick test of pain depends on a spinal reflex because a similar response is observed in spinally transected rats. But when subjects were manually held and a cool heat setting was used, supraspinal systems facilitated the response (Experiment 1). This effect did not depend on the rate at which the tail was heated (Experiment 2) but rather on the co-occurrence of visual, auditory, and tactile cues that predict impending pain (Experiments 3 and 4). Subjects rapidly learned to exhibit a tail movement during these co-occurring cues, and this avoidance response was instrumental in nature (Experiment 5). Optimal learning was observed when the visual signal was presented 8-12 s before a heat-elicited response is normally observed (Experiment 6), and a low dose of morphine inhibited the performance of the instrumental response (Experiment 7).
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843, USA. tek2478@zeus.tamu.edu
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Joynes
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Grau
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000502:physiology; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu / Q000502:physiology; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*; D013623:Tail / Q000294:innervation; D013697:Thermosensing / Q000502:physiology; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu